Your life is defined by the stories you believe and actually live out. Not by the stories you acknowledge, but by the ones you internalize and trust.
Without a central driving narrative, it’s easy to become “unmoored” and adrift. I believe this is precisely what’s happened to many professionals over the past few years. With the constant assault on our senses from circumstances, news organizations, social media, advise-givers, and general purpose alarmists, our receptors have become overloaded with stimulus. By the time we process each world-ending event, there is another one to deal with.
I’ve had personal conversations with a number of people recently who convey that they’ve felt largely disconnected from ambition and purpose since the onset of the pandemic. It’s been difficult to engage, whether emotionally or mentally, and the outcomes that once mattered deeply to them just don’t register on their list of priorities any longer. Some might argue that this is a healthy return to more important priorities like family, friendships, and health, but that’s not what they report. Instead, they are struggling with engagement in those areas too. It’s almost like they have been robbed of the greater narrative and can’t find a path forward.
When everything feels simultaneously urgent and random anyway, what’s the point?
Without a central driving narrative, it’s easy to become “unmoored” and adrift. I believe this is precisely what’s happened to many professionals over the past few years.
Research has shown that the pandemic has had a significant impact on people’s emotional well-being. A study published in the Journal of Psychiatric Research found that during the pandemic, the average person routinely experienced increased anxiety, depression, and stress. Another study, published in The Lancet, found that people who had recovered from COVID-19 reported a range of ongoing symptoms, including fatigue, difficulty concentrating, and emotional disturbances. These emotional challenges can lead to disengagement from previously meaningful activities and a general sense of feeling unmoored, as individuals struggle to navigate the uncertainty and social/political/economic upheaval.
How do we re-tether? By re-discovering productive passion.
I wrote about productive passion in my book Die Empty. We must re-claim a focus on outcomes instead of focusing on activities. We must center in on what is worth sacrificing for instead of focusing solely on what we might enjoy doing, which is how many people think of “passion”.
The key to disrupting the pattern of distraction and anxiety is to deeply connect to a small set of outcomes that you chooseto allow to drive your decisions. Then, make small progress toward each outcome every day. As Teresa Amabile revealed in her research, small amounts of progress toward goals result in large motivational boosts.
Here’s a simple way to get started:
- Choose 2-3 qualitative or quantitative outcomes that you’d like to pursue over the next month. These should be outcomes that (a) are within your sphere of influence, (b) matter deeply to you, but that you currently feel somewhat helpless to influence, and (c) you are willing to suffer a bit if necessary to see achieved. (”Suffering” the meaning of “passion” in its root form.)
- Decide on 2-3 behaviors or activities that are likely to move you toward those outcomes.
- Track your progress on each of those behaviors or activities every single day. This is important, because it will improve consistency and begin to create a self-fueling well of motivation to continue to pursue the outcomes.
Whether your chosen outcomes are personal or professional, commit to engaging in those behaviors and activities every day until you see results. Or, adapt them as needed. The key is consistency and progress each day.
When we lose the larger narrative, the key is to re-claim the smaller ones. When the grand story is chaotic, purpose is uncovered in the details.
Re-tether yourself to important outcomes, cultivate your productive passion, and re-discover the narrative of your life and work.
