There are seasons in our life where boredom can get the best of us. Although to everyone else’s standards things are going well you feel lost or discontent. This may drive you crazy and force you to feel something is wrong. I think any disturbance should be used to check in with yourself. See if your time and energy is in alignment with your priorities. See if you have outgrown your goals or even your purpose. We are always changing and it may be time to make some new decisions.

Feed Your Soul

I love the quote “If you aren’t growing you are dying,” by Tony Robbins. This seems to be in direct competition with many people’s desire to live a simple life and just be content. Many of us have been in situations where we had too much on our plate and got overwhelmed so we thought stepping back would help. Maybe challenges stacked up and we thought the answer was to simplify. There is nothing simple about being an aware and growth-minded person. You won’t be able to tolerate boring routines for very long if you are truly growth-minded. If you find yourself there it is time to shake things up a bit.

We all crave adventure, fun, and freedom. What can happen so easily is we place other people, including our kids, above our own physical and emotional well-being. We will eventually burn out or get bored. We have to learn to feed our fire and feel passionate about life even if we have simplified. Our emotional well-being is dependent on feeding our soul while still taking care of other priorities.

I highly recommend you celebrate where you are now. List out everything you are grateful for and have accomplished. Then list out the areas that you feel a tad lost. Maybe you crave a relationship, want to get healthier, or want to shake up your career. Now comes the fun part . . .  you actually need to change your goals and plan regardless of what time of year it is. For those of you that don’t have a vision or goals, start doing them. Trust me these seasons of discontent will get shorter and your life will be filled with more joy once you start.

Remain Grateful

Your gratitude list doesn’t have to change. If you are telling yourself you don’t have capacity to do more it is total BS. You can cultivate more energy if it is really important to you. It is just a matter of prioritizing differently and seeing if you are either wasting time or spending time on things that don’t matter. If you haven’t looked at the wheel of life exercise it is a good one. You assess where you are in every area by shading triangles in the circle. Your life is divided by different categories: Health, Finances, Career, Relationships, etc. The idea is that if you are super-good in one area but not another life will be bumpy. The challenge is that it is difficult to achieve mastery in all areas at the same time because life is ultimately outside of our control. I choose to measure my balance by my intention and effort. So if I am intentional about my time with my kids, yet they are acting like enabled little brats which most teenagers do, I still feel joy. I recognize and accept that they are in a pretty self-absorbed season. Finances are similar. If I am on a good path I feel great even if my balances aren’t where I would like them long-term.

You Are Enough

The challenge you may come to once you awaken and are focused on growing, will be staying out of your “I’m not enough” state. You bounce back and forth between I am great, content, and confident with I am not. You always want growth and start craving it but it is too easy to become obsessed with creating that perfect wheel.

Once you recognize that it may be you are no longer putting yourself first you can do something about it. We pour so much into other people’s lives that we can forget about our own needs. Some of you many not even know where to start. You may have neglected yourself for so long you can’t see what will make you happy.

There is no such thing as perfect so seeking a perfect life is a waste of time. You can live at mastery in all areas if you prioritize yourself. You need a cup that is overflowing so you must come first. If you see yourself sacrificing areas for another that’s when you have a problem. If you have said I can’t workout or work a lot because my kids need me or I can’t have a relationship because work or family is too much, take a step back. That is just a story you have been telling yourself because you are either afraid to have it all or don’t feel worthy in same way. You will reduce your own confidence and energy level by doing this.

My suggestion is this, if you find yourself confused, discontent, or bored really take some time to look at yourself and your beliefs. You might be neglecting yourself or telling yourself stories that don’t serve you. Life is too short to not put yourself first. So have some fun and relax a bit. Joy comes from the effort you put in not the results you get. You can be a great parent, boss, or partner and still take care of yourself.