Inspiration, Effort, and Flow

I love thinking about life through the seasons, especially the older I become.  Each season brings us a new beginning and ending– weather, foods, flowers, plants, and trees.  Nature reminds us that nothing stays the same, yet there is a beautiful rhythm we can expect in life. The sun rises, the moon shines at night. The sun shines greater in summer and the moon waxes and wanes. It is all ever-changing but expected.

No matter what work I have done in my life there are always peaks and valleys, there are busy times and then not so busy times. There are times where I feel inspired, I effort and I flow.  I find I prefer the flow and inspiration but the truth is sometimes there needs to be an effort, I am not suggesting a violent push, only that sometimes it takes more mental effort to move through something.

I was talking to a friend yesterday who was sharing that her motivation was low at work. She is a high performer and a hard worker but she is finding come afternoon time, she simply wants to be outside. The warm weather and sunshine are having a greater pull than the spreadsheet or the powerpoint. But she was feeling guilty about it, feeling concerned she was going to get called out by her co-workers or boss.

Then this morning I was on the phone with a client who just got a new job and she loves it. She said she feels happy when she is going to work and feels happy when she is leaving work, bottom line, she is happy.

Our feelings about work have a rhythm just like nature, sometimes we feel happy, sometimes we feel guilty, sometimes we feel overwhelmed, sometimes we feel excited, sometimes we feel frustrated, I could go on and on. My point is that just like nature, our day to day relationship to work is ever changing.

Trust that whatever you are feeling today, this too shall pass. It is guaranteed, the one certainty in life is change. My experience is the more we lean into the acceptance of change, then the greater fulfillment we have in life. And if you find that you consistently feel frustrated or overwhelmed, then it is your sign to effort the change and find work that is a better fit for YOU.

It is also an opportunity to lean into the possibility, what could be next? What will the next chapter in my work life reveal? Leaning into the unknown and trusting the nature of change can allow for more space, more freedom, and more satisfaction.

What is your current feeling about your work life?