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When Jared Tracy of Words Cause interviewed me to hear why I quit my job after 16 years, I answered because of the lack of inspiration. This feeling is universal. No matter if you work, go on vacation, read, watch TV, talk to people, you either feel inspired or you don’t.

Haven’t you experienced moments, days, maybe even years missing that feeling of excitement, enthusiasm, joy or fulfillment? Starting your work in the morning, doing a project during the day or trying to write an article without success? We sigh, feel frustrated or a bit down when we are not inspired.

The moment when we are connected with that vibrant energy, we seem to glide through our day, multitasking becomes a piece of cake and our spirits are up. We are inspired and our own actions inspire others at the same time. It’s a high level energy that most of us want to hold on to for ever. Can we?

A client of mine contacted me for another coaching session. She felt lost. She wondered if the direction she decided to follow for her new career was the right one. I recognized that feeling immediately. We choose one path which means we exclude many other paths we can not follow simultaneously and so we ask ourselves: are we on the right track? We are not necessarily lost but we get distracted by the other sign posts along the way.

Another experience I’m sure we all have is that we know we are on the right track but we don’t feel inspired. This is something I relate to very well. I love my Soul at Work activities, however there are days that I feel down or not engaged with anything that has to do with personal growth or supporting people. My mind immediately starts to label my feelings: “Well, Marianne this is not right, you should feel excited running your own company, are you sure you want to keep doing that?”, or it tunes into other dark experiences from the past “Remember when you felt like this in your relationship and you quit?”, or it finds a nice down spiral route “You can never inspire anyone if you are not inspired yourself, so what’s the use of Soul at Work?”. These thoughts are my dream bashers united meetings. They love to team up and throw more and more arguments at me to show that I indeed am lost and not on the right track.

The truth is: they are not telling the truth! Lack of inspiration is just that. It’s a moment when we need not to be inspired. It’s a moment for reflection (and not frustration). It’s a moment to welcome that feeling as many others we have during the day. We’re not supposed to argue with that feeling or draw definite conclusions. So what can you do when you feel uninspired?

Here are some tips if you experience the lack of inspiration attack:

1. Acknowledge your feeling by saying out loud “Isn’t it funny: I’m not inspired!” You can also write it down. It’s a fact now and you don’t need to waste energy denying it. Sometimes that’s enough to give your heart the message that you’re listening and to give room for something else
2. Decide to turn your attention inward. Do nothing and sit with the feeling. Be quiet. Sit or lie down and focus on your heart and breath. Just enjoy who you are in that moment, there is no need to find answers, it’s OK how you feel
3. Decide to turn your attention outward: get some fresh air, do some sports, talk to a friend about your lack of inspiration and offer them a chance to inspire you!

The lack of inspiration is not always a sign something is wrong, it’s a signal that you are moving, from one energy level to another. It urges you either to be still and connect with your heart or to take action depending on what feels best. My need to find inspiration in a new career was a repetitive feeling that increased so I had to take action. Now I’m living my dream career and when I’m not inspired I know it’s just that. My inspiration took a break and has put “will be back soon” on my heart’s door. Give yourself that break and trust that spirit will find you!