No matter how much passion you started out with in your topic, eventually you’re going to get tired.
And if you’ve just been through the couple of years we have, it’s unlikely you’re showing up to your project every day as a perky little daisy.
Today I thought it would be fun to talk about some ways to refresh your energy for your project — and when it might be time to leave your topic behind.
You’ve lost that loving feeling
Sometimes, you still like your topic, but you don’t feel the spark that you used to.
I wrote here about seven practical things you can do to get the flame rekindled:
7 Tips for Falling in Love with Your Blog All Over Again
You’ve said it all before (twice)
This one’s nearly inevitable if you stay in your game long enough.
You’ve created a large volume of content, consistently. And one day you start to get a little twitchy about writing your 17th blog post on a fundamental aspect of your topic.
I believe there’s value in revisiting fundamental topics and thinking about fresh ways to write about them. I do not believe that value is limitless.
I’ve been enjoying Brittany Berger’s approach to “minimalist content marketing,” which is all about getting the most value out of every word you write. Repurposing is part of the approach, but it’s not the whole answer.
Instead, she teaches “content remixing.” You can learn more about that here:
You’re ready for a new role
If you’re getting bored or burned out with your topic, it might mean that you’re ready for a new role in your project.
Most of us start as “chief cook and bottle washer” for our projects. We do all of the tasks, or delegate a few specialized ones like designing our website.
But it’s always smart to think about which aspects of your project you’re uniquely fantastic at … and which ones should be turned over to someone else.
Consider getting outside help for tasks like:
- Formatting blog posts
- Editing audio
- Setting up email automation
- Researching content
- Editing and polishing
- Repurposing content for social sharing
- Formatting lead magnets
Sometimes a strong VA (virtual assistant) is the right choice for these, and sometimes (as in the audio editing link in that list) it can be smart to hire a specialist.
Spend some quality time thinking about what your most significant contributions are — and what might be done as well (or better) by someone else.
You don’t agree with it any more
If you’re staying engaged and curious with your topic, eventually you’ll probably change your mind about something. Sometimes about something important.
It’s a sign of intellectual maturity, and unfortunately, it’s getting rarer.
If you have a major shift in how you’re seeing your topic, your new insights will probably shift your entire identity with your audience.
My best suggestions are:
- Stay humble and curious.
- Keep taking in information, and sift it as carefully as you can for your own biases.
- Try to avoid a wrenching knee-jerk as you continue to evaluate evidence.
- Hold on to your compassion for people who are still in your earlier belief system.
- Tell the truth as you see it, knowing that tomorrow you might see it differently.
And remember the great Maya Angelou advice:
“Do the best you can until you know better. Then when you know better, do better.”
Maybe take a look at that burnout?
If you regularly feel like you hate your topic, your audience, your business, your blog, your content, your town, your social media accounts, it’s just possible that …
You’re exhausted and burned out by your mountain of chronic stress.
When stress starts to build up in our bodies, it’s normal to go into a “fight, flight, or freeze” mode that makes no room for joy.
I really loved the book Burnout by Emily Nagoski and her sister Amelia Nagoski. Here’s a TED interview with both Drs. Nagoski, talking about how to discharge some of the toxic gunk that burns us out:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PrJAX-iQ-O4
So is it time to say good-bye?
If you’ve tried all the things and you still aren’t feeling the magic for your topic, maybe it is time to do something new. Our lives happen in chapters, and sometimes it’s time for a new one.
But I’d suggest at least giving some of these ideas a try, and seeing if there’s not a new and more fulfilling way to relate to your topic.
That’s it for this week!
Take good care of yourself, and Stay Fierce.
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