Meaning and Motivation

Let’s be honest — we’ve all had those days (or weeks... or months) where simply opening your laptop feels like lifting Thor’s hammer. You stare at your to-do list like it personally offended you. You finally finish a task… only to be told to redo it. Again. And again. And somewhere between revision #3 and coffee cup #5, you start wondering:

“Is this what my soul signed up for?”

If you’ve ever felt stuck in a Groundhog Day of work, where motivation is on vacation and passion is just a memory — this one’s for you. It’s not laziness. It’s not failure. It’s a sign that something deeper is asking for your attention.

In this article, we’re going to unpack what’s really going on when everything feels like a chore, why you're not broken (spoiler: you’re human), and how to gently find your way back to purpose, progress, and maybe even a bit of joy in the process.

Bring your coffee. Let’s talk.

Passion Feels Distant

At some point in your journey, you may find yourself feeling persistently unmotivated — procrastination creeps in, and even tasks once driven by passion begin to feel like burdens. Projects you’ve put genuine effort into somehow never quite take off. Eventually, a sense of defeat sets in. You start dreading new initiatives because the outcome seems predictable: more frustration, more rework, and little sense of accomplishment.

Despite your best intentions, the same question lingers:

"What is in it for me?"

This isn't a selfish question. It’s a fundamental one. It’s about understanding the worthiness of your focus, your labor, and ultimately, your self-worth.

You're Not Alone — And You're Not Lazy

You're expressing something deeply human, and very common — especially among people who care about doing good work and finding meaning in what they do. Let’s unpack what you're feeling, piece by piece, with both compassion and clarity.

🔁 The Cycle You Might Be Caught In

What you're describing reflects a loop many high-performing, thoughtful professionals fall into:

• Initial excitement
• ➝ Overwhelm and delays
• ➝ Work begins to feel burdensome
• ➝ The result doesn’t meet expectations
• ➝ Rework after rework
• ➝ Motivation drops
• ➝ Resistance to starting again

This isn't laziness. It’s more likely burnout, frustration, or disillusionment. As author Adam Grant puts it, this space — where you're not fully burned out, but not thriving either — is called languishing. Your mind, in this state, is often just trying to protect you from further disappointment.

💭 “What’s wrong with me?” vs. “What’s wrong with the system?”

Instead of turning inward with blame, it’s more productive to reflect both internally and externally:

1. Is it the process?

Quite possibly. Ask yourself:

• Are your goals clear and realistic?
• Is there enough time for revision and reflection?
• Is your workflow structured to allow creativity and flow — or is it killing momentum with pressure and perfectionism?

As Cal Newport argues in Deep Work, meaningful output requires uninterrupted focus and clarity — not just constant “busyness.”

2. Is it okay to rework so much?

To some degree, yes. Iteration is natural, especially in creative or strategic roles. But if every task requires constant revision:

• Are expectations being clearly communicated?
• Is feedback being given too late in the process?
• Is there alignment between your output and the vision of others?

Patrick Lencioni, in The Five Dysfunctions of a Team, emphasizes how poor communication and lack of trust lead to inefficiency and disconnection — which might explain why so much rework happens even when effort is high.

3. Is it okay to feel tired of this?

Absolutely. It’s demoralizing to consistently pour energy into work that feels like it goes nowhere. You might not just be tired; you could be grieving lost momentum — or even a version of yourself that used to be more energized.

💡 What Might Help Right Now

Here are some simple, pressure-free strategies that can help shift your energy:

🔹 Audit the real issue.

Ask yourself: Is it the task, the environment, or the expectation that’s truly draining me?

🔹 Shift from perfection to clarity.

Instead of trying to perfect everything from the start, define what “good enough” looks like early. Get feedback early, not after full effort.

🔹 Build motivation from momentum, not the other way around.

Waiting to feel inspired rarely works. But starting small, achieving a quick win, and seeing visible progress — that can reignite motivation.

🔹 Make space to want something again.

If everything feels like an obligation, perhaps you’ve lost connection with what brings you intrinsic joy. Set aside 30 minutes a week to do something unrelated to work — something purely for curiosity or learning.

This creates renewable energy, not just productivity.

❓ “What is in it for me?” — The Most Important Question

This question is powerful. Because your life is worth more than just output. If your current workflow — or even your job — isn’t giving you something back (growth, learning, pride, peace, compensation, or meaning), then you’re being depleted without being replenished.

As Lencioni says, people need to feel their work is not only useful, but also recognized and personally relevant. Without that, disengagement is inevitable.

🌱 Final Thought: You’re Not Lazy — You’re Seeking Traction

You’re not lazy. You’re tired of running on a treadmill that doesn’t seem to move forward. You’re craving traction, not just motion. That may mean:

• Changing how you approach your work,
• Renegotiating expectations with your team or stakeholders,
• Or simply reconnecting with what used to inspire you before it all became too heavy.

And even in this fog, the fact that you still care — that you’re asking these questions, that you want to find a way back to your passion — means your next chapter is still very much possible.

You’re not broken. You’re just in transition.

So take a breath.

This moment — heavy as it feels — might just be a turning point disguised as exhaustion. You don’t need to overhaul your entire life overnight. You don’t need to chase a brand-new purpose just to feel alive again. Sometimes, it’s enough to pause, reflect, and take one honest, low-pressure step in a direction that feels a little more like you.

Whether that means reworking your workflow, setting clearer boundaries, or giving yourself permission to want something different — trust that you’re allowed to change, reset, and grow.

The next version of you isn’t waiting at the finish line. It starts here, with awareness, honesty… and a bit of kindness toward yourself.

Keep going — not because you have to. But because something better is possible, and you’re still curious enough to find out what that might be. 🌱

#MotivationAtWork #BurnoutRecovery #PurposeDrivenWork #CreativeProcess #ProfessionalGrowth #SHHwrites