How to Rediscover Passion for Your Work

Ever have that moment where you look up from your laptop and think, This is not what I signed up for. You’ve had your head down, working hard, just trying to make it through the days and weeks. Then you stop. Blink. And start saying thinking: How did I end up here? This isn’t what I thought it was going to be. Is this as good as it gets? Is this even what I want? I don’t have any other options. I’ve been there for sure. That line of thinking can make you feel powerless and trapped. Which often leads to not making any changes. To burnout, dread, anxiety, and overwhelm. You end up abdicating your autonomy to your job. There are so many ways you can start making small shifts that add up to a completely different day-to-day emotional experience. Change in the right direction. Some ideas: 1️⃣ Reconnect with your values and goals: Take some time to reflect on what's important to you and what you hope to achieve in your career. It may not be the same as it was when you started out. Once you’ve done that, what needs to change to get in alignment with those values and goals? Start making changes one by one. 2️⃣ Focus on what you can control: It's easy to feel overwhelmed or frustrated by the things that are outside of your control, such as organizational policies and politics, supervisors, colleagues, clients, trends in your industry, or the job market. Instead of focusing on these external factors, focus on the things that you can control, such as your own mindset, work habits, and actions. 3️⃣ Identify areas for growth: It’s possible that you aren’t being challenged enough or that your professional growth has stalled or that you are bored with what you are currently doing. Where can you add or take advantage of some opportunities for growth and development? 4️⃣ Build in time for rest: It’s hard to get unstuck when you are going full speed all. the. time. Start building in some intentional slow downs. Create the space you need to assess your life. 5️⃣ Build relationships and community: When we are overworking, we neglect our need for human connection. Where can you build in more meaningful connection? 6️⃣ Ask yourself this → If you could wave a magic wand and change one thing about your current job, what would it be? Then, answer this → How can I make that happen without a magic wand? 7️⃣ Get coached. I know what it is like to look up and feel lost about where you are and how you got there. Getting coached helped me make significant changes to the way my life looked and felt (and those tools are still helping me do that every single day). ❔How are you feeling about your job and your life right now?

Yesterday, I mentioned that when a plane is just 1° off course, it will land in an entirely different destination than where the pilot intended. The flipside is that by making small 1° adjustments, we can reroute the plane that is our law career to our desired destination. If you feel dissatisfied in your career or on the verge of burnout, here are some 1° adjustments to consider over the next week: - Pay attention throughout the workday to when you feel the most engaged in your work. - Highlight any instances of flow or full absorption in your work. - Write down what you are doing during these times. - Notice if there are certain subjects that capture your attention. - Notice if there are certain activities that energize you. - Pay attention to when you feel disengaged, when you have to push or force yourself to do certain tasks. - Write down what you are doing during these times. Look at your list at the end of the week and notice any trends or patterns. This is the first step in designing your job to include more flow and engagement and less of what drains you.  The more we experience engagement and flow in our work, the more resilient we are to burnout, even when we have a large workload. #jobcrafting #womenattorneys #flow

A vacation won't fix your burnout. The time away might help you feel more well rested, creative, and perhaps even a little guilty for temporarily placing your responsibilities on other people... But it won't fix what burned you out in the first place: a lack of clarity about your purpose, your impact, pressure to achieve unobtainable goals, and conflicts with coworkers. The first time I experienced burnout in my career, I gritted through it in silence; afraid about what would happen if I told anyone I was getting the Sunday scaries every night of the week. When I had nobody to guide me through it, I turned to Google and asked for help. Here's what I journaled down from my experience that I share with mentees who are pushing through burnout: Change what you can, nibble on the giant elephant you can't scarf down. Here are a few strategies that have been helpful for me: I learned that I suddenly felt more excitement for work when I was freed up to explore little curiosities. Take your current priorities to your boss, share passions with them that you'd like to explore more of. You don't have to tell them you're feeling any type of way, you could just ask them for a few hours a month to explore an are of the business that fascinates you: "I'd love to spend a few hours a week [working on X, or getting to know what X team does]." If you're paralyzed by a large task ahead of you, it's a sign you haven't set realistic goals and thought through each step of what you need to achieve. When you complete each step, those victories can motive you to keep going. Soon you'll look back at how far you've come. If your current company environment is misaligned with your values, can you seek out potential opportunities to build connections and learn new perspectives from new mentors? When you believe there’s always something you can adjust to reignite your enthusiasm, your career becomes a far more intriguing project to master.