A few years ago while on a family trip to Disney Land, I was walking from the hotel to the park, and found myself behind a little girl and her parents.  She was around 4 years old and was decked out from head to toe in her best princess outfit.  Obviously her parents had psyched her up about how fun this was going to be and she was dressed for the party!   Apparently they forgot to mention the part about the LONG walk from the hotel to the park.  After several minutes, I could tell she was beginning to lose her patience. I could see the little wheels turning in her head as the sense of betrayal set in.  “This is a scam!   They lied to me!“  I could imagine her saying.   I was totally on her side.  I got it.  It was a LONG walk!

She stopped dead in her tracks, pulled her hands out of her parents’ grip, gave her feet a good stomp, and shouted “Why this isn’t fun right now?”    I had to laugh out loud.   Her protest that this was NOT part of what she had agreed to was compelling.  This betrayal ran deep!

Here I am, many years later, and I still hear that little girl’s voice loud and clear in my mind when I reach the point where something loses its joy.  Unlike her, I have a few years, and a few skills under my belt that I can tap in to when I need to work out why something no longer feels fun.   Not to mention I have some great Life Coach buddies on speed dial to help me when I need another perspective

Some times we get so bogged down in the What that we forget the Why.  We lose touch with the original motivation behind whatever it is we are doing.  We get so caught up in the task itself that we end up sucking the fun out of it.  I am guilty of this more frequently than I prefer to admit.  I put my head down and just DO.  I lose perspective and forget to enjoy the process itself.   Inevitably I find myself shouting “Why this isn’t fun right now?!”

When something starts out fun, but then loses it’s sparkle, it’s time to take a good look at where things went wrong.  It’s time to tap back into the original motivation behind what you set out to do.   Go back to the last time it felt good and ask yourself what changed.   When did the joy slink back into the dark corners?  Are you still motivated in the same way?  Is it time to get back on track or change course?  Turn on the flashlight and go search those dark corners for the joy.  Once you find it, put your best princess dress on and get back to the party!