I feel like i don't have enough motivation

[brendannz]

Or passion might be the right word..

I'm working in a part time retail job, as supplementary income to some other web based work I do from home, (not too difficult or technical) and it's alright, I just needed a little bit of additional income because there wasn't enough work

But I don't like the job much, and don't want to stay there a long time.

The plus side, is I had a goal of finding a part time sideline job ASAP, and I got what I was looking for. So it's good to know I can achieve goals, maybe it's just time to set higher goals.

There was a time about 3.5 years ago, I had so much motivation to get a good job so I could live an enjoyable life in London, and it wasn't a well paid job, but I enjoyed it, it was interesting, I got along well with the people & went out to gigs, & had a really enjoyable life over there.

Before then, I'd saved like crazy to get to go over there..

Now I'm 29 and feel a bit down about my position in life, doesn't seem that exciting.

I'm living to get by so I can work on my artwork & some web design projects, which is going quite well.. I go out and have fun with friends, which is cool..

But it feels like I'm just living to get by.. and don't have enough goals..

I think I need more determination.. like I did 3.5 years ago..

I feel like I need more drive in my life.. Maybe my artistic goals aren't fulfilling enough or something?

Any ideas on how I can find what goals I really want to go for, and also re-find the passion I had 3.5 years ago when I was starting out a new life?

Another thing I've noticed is I'm feeling somewhat intolerant of people. Not openly rude, but more easily annoyed than I used to be.. I'm supposed to be a patient easy going personality.

I haven't been sleeping well either..

But anyway, finding passion for living a better life is the main one.. When I successfully found a job that was enjoyable where I was learning new things, and feeling more fulfilled?

I already feel better about the situation after writing this out

[truant]

Don't take this the wrong way, but: Why aren't you doing what you want to do?

Every time I've felt a lack of passion and motivation in my life it always came back to this: I was doing something I didn't really want to do because I didn't give myself permission to do the thing I really wanted to do.

Maybe you need to explore what you're hiding from yourself or denying yourself. The problem isn't that you lack passion or motivation--they are inherent in your nature--the problem is that you aren't giving yourself permission to feel it because you don't approve of the things that inspire you.

[Michael Chui]

I'd suggest looking for a new job. Not actively hunting for one, but giving yourself the opportunity to get one. Mention to your friends that you're thinking about what else you could do, but you don't really know: just an opening for them to pass on any information to you.

Idea is just to open the door for something interesting to find you.

It's a suggestion, and I can describe half a dozen ways for it to backfire, so... grain of salt.

[journaljunkie]

A couple of weeks ago I read an article in Oprah magazine's website. It was written by that author of Eat Pray Love... Apparently she also went through a similar funk after the success of her novel.

The gist of the essay is "if you can't find your passion, find your curiosity." She didn't know what to do, didn't feel like writing, felt she had lost her spark. So a friend advised her to try something new. She started gardening... and somehow that new hobby, which completely absorbed her, helped feed her creative spirit. Then she was able to ask herself what she wanted to write about, and why she loved writing so much.

I guess the point is... start by expanding your world. I could be wrong, but you sound like you've gotten into a routine, which is okay, but kinda boring. Shake things up a bit. Try a new hobby, meet new people, rediscover that sense of wonder. I really love the book 'How to Think like Leonardo da Vinci" because it has all these practical exercises on how to expand your perspective. When I feel myself thinking the same thoughts/whining about the same things for several days in a row, I break it open and force myself to see the world with new eyes. And that's the start of seeing yourself with new eyes, too.

Hope it all works out!