There’s no one-size fits all solution for restoring meaning and passion to your life. However, there are strategies for assessing your life, and making corrections if you’ve gotten off course. Most people pursue not a single strategy but a combination. Lets look at 5 approaches.
1. Call a time-out For some people, taking off is the best way to figure out what they really want to do, and to reconnect with their dreams. Academic institutions have long provided time for rejuvenation through sabbaticals-6-12 months off, often with pay. More often , business people who take time off do so on their own time-a risk, to be sure, but few who have stepped off the track regret the decision.
2. Find a Program While a time-out can be a little more than a refreshing pause, a Leadership or Executive Development Program, is a more structured strategy, guiding people, as they explore their dreams, and open new doors eg. Someone who took a Leadership Development Seminar in which a series of exercises forced him to clarify his values, philosophy, aspirations, and strengths. When returning to a new CEO role he became an exemplar of the democratic leadership style, welcoming employees input and encouraging his Leadership Team to do the same.
3. Create reflective structures Leaders have a common way of staying in touch with what was important to them. They built into their lives time and space for self examination, whether a few hours a week, a day or two a month, or a longer period every year.
4. Work with a Coach Our own biases and experiences sometimes make it impossible for us to find our way out of a difficult or confusing situation ‘we need an outside perspective’. Help can come informally from family, friends and colleagues, or a skilled coach or counsellor .
5. Find a new meaning in familiar territory Rather than changing your job, it is often easier to make small adjustments so that your work more directly reflects your beliefs and values. Bringing about change that can make a difference to people around us, gives meaning to our work, and leads to a renewed commitment in our jobs.
– Source: Boyatzis, Mckee & Goleman