Get your groove back on

What happens when you have a job to do but your energy is down and your mind drained of inspiration? That is the question I put to my Facebook friends last week. You will probably never appreciate the dilemma I was in unless you belong to the world of literature.

Keep pushing no matter what

Some of us who live by the pen; turning words into money, face times when the mind shuts down, leaving you stuck in the middle of a desert without an oasis. Worse than writer’s block. Imagine you are paid by an NGO to write its annual report in a way that would induce funders to pump more money into the organization. You have done this several times and have managed online content for many company websites.

Suddenly you realise how boring the job is, and motivation plummets to irretrievable proportions. You have piles of audio-video files and newspaper cuttings from which to generate that blockbuster report that the NGO boss has been restlessly harassing you about. You have already been paid 20 per cent of the money you are meant to earn from the project. Isn’t that what they call being stuck between a rock and a hard place?

If you have been going through this, or related situations, I want to share some advice from friends that helped me. You are not the first nor will you be the last to feel overwhelmed. Just push all the way knowing new and more interesting opportunities will come knocking when you do a fantastic job. The reverse is true – doing shoddy work because you are stressed ruins your business; word will go around and no one will want to tap your talent again. Do not betray your ability.

Have enough rest, drink lots of water, exercise, listen to good music; whatever will fire you up, do.
"You don't need prayers but need to resist and reject the spirit of laziness to find your groove again," said Peter, my friend.


Remember good things come at a price. That is what psychiatrist Viktor Frankl meant when he said that "What is to give light must endure burning." Your endurance will pay off.