If I could distill all of the things that my clients most yearn for into two things, they would be:

Feeling less tired, and
Feeling more inspired.

It seems that more and more of us are feeling increased exhaustion and overwhelm, and decreased enthusiasm for things that we used to feel inspired and excited about. I suspect that the fact that we are hurtling towards year-end has something to do with it. The last three months of the year is always a rush to finish everything we need to get done while planning being on holiday and doing as little as possible.

But the last-quarter-craziness only exacerbates a deeper and more serious issue:

Too many people are feeling drained and exhausted from expending energy on things that do not feel sufficiently meaningful and rewarding to provide an adequate return on their emotional and energetic investment. We are not just in the grips of a financial recession; too many of us are spending more energy than we are receiving. If we continue to give out more than we receive (in any and all areas of our lives), we will eventually crash and burn(out).

The solution is twofold:

  1. We need to examine where we need to make savings in our time and energy expenditure, and
  2. We need to identify how we can increase the meaning and impact of what we do and how we do it.

Whatever it is that you want to be different in your life generally and in the coming year in particular, you can plan to make that happen (or, at the very least, start to happen). But those changes aren’t going to make themselves; you need to be the one to make sure they happen.

You can start by thinking about these questions:

  • Where are you wasting energy? (spending more than receiving?)
  • Where are you getting the most returns on your energy investments?
  • What preoccupies you? What makes you feel alive?
  • What makes you happy?
  • What feels meaningful?
  • What are you most likely to feel proud of yourself for achieving when you look back on your life?

When we are in the midst of exhaustion, overwhelm and panic, it can seem unimaginable to feel any different. But a little bit of reflecting, planning and budgeting goes a very long way. With some time and thought, you will be able to make a few powerful changes that will help you to feel less tired and more inspired…

Here’s to being less tired and more inspired!