I’m bored with my life.

I’ve been trying to figure out what’s wrong with me for the last year or so. I get up and go through the motions of the day. I enjoy my work for the most part, and since I’m self-employed, I don’t have a demanding boss or annoying co-workers, so it’s not the “annoying people at work” but I find myself unexcited to get the day started.

I’m in my 40’s, so I‘m past the point where I think that everything is like Disneyland, but I remember pre-pandemic I had more days when I looked forward to the day than I do now.

Every day feels the same, and there doesn’t seem to be much to look forward to.

Before the pandemic, I used to enjoy going out to events and socializing with people. Since the pandemic, I’ve been out a few times and been ready to go home within an hour.

I have even declined invitations to “hang out” because the last few times I’ve been out with people, there has been more socializing on the phones than with one another. There has been little stimulating conversation so people find more interest in their phones and all I think is, “I would rather be home watching Netflix” I’ve wondered if all that time during 2020 and beyond spent at home comfortable at home made me lose my appetite for going out.

It’s me, hi…I’m the Problem. It’s me

Sidebar: There is a Taylor Swift song for EVERYTHING.

Every year, I pick a word that will serve as the theme for that year. My word for 2023 was: REVITALIZATION.

Revitalization is defined by Merriam-Webster as the act or an instance of bringing something back to life, public attention, or vigorous activity

In the summer of 2023, I started admitting my discontent with my life.

While 2023 was filled with activity and movement, I never felt like I was undertaking a revitalization movement until December, and then something clicked.

I’m bored.

I’m bored, and I have been bored for the last few years.

I’m bored with my career and social life. I don’t feel like I’m challenging myself anymore in my work and personal life. I haven’t been doing interesting things, which makes for meeting interesting people and having such interesting conversations that nobody is looking at their phones.

While there are times when I’m having fun and enjoying the day, it’s not enough because I know there is more.

The boredom manifested itself in various ways such as mindless scrolling on social media for hours even when I didn’t enjoy it. The boredom manifested itself in a nearly 20-pound weight gain because I attempted to fill the boredom with food.

I listened to a podcast about reinvention, and the host admitted to being bored. He is a very accomplished and respected person in his field, but he was bored. He knew there was more that he was being called to do and that to get to that more, he needed to start making changes.

“YES!” I shouted while listening to this podcast. “THAT IS EXACTLY HOW I AM FEELING!!! I WANT MORE!!”

Understanding that I was bored and I was the problem helped me not to blame others. It wasn’t my clients or social group that was the problem.

It’s me. I’m the problem…it’s me and it’s time to make some changes.

2024: The year of SHIFT and Revival

My word for 2024 is SHIFT.

The definition of shift, according to Merriam-Webster, is to move or change the position.

This year, I am ready to MOVE and make some serious changes. I’ve signed up for classes to upgrade my writing skills, I’m connecting with a strategy coach to help me explore career moves, and I’m shifting my perspective from “I have to” to “I am choosing to.”

I’m also reviving some activities and hobbies that I used to enjoy but that I stopped for one reason or the other. As we start to do more of what we enjoy, there are new possibilities that give us new vigor and new life. It’s called REVITALIZATION!!

This is a theme I keep coming across in my conversations with people. This year, I have talked to numerous people, picking up hobbies and passions they once enjoyed. People have shared that they are writing songs, learning languages, traveling, designing, playing music, and attending live shows.

After the pandemic and in these times of uncertainty, we realize that there is little we can control, so why not return to activities we were once passionate about?

The uncertainty of 2024

You don’t need to be a prophet to see that the world is on fire, and 2024 looks like it will be another year of chaos and confusion.

People realize that spending time arguing online or doom scrolling social media is not the answer. Instead of those unproductive activities, we need to fill our mental and emotional buckets so that we are not overwhelmed by technology.

Numerous world conflicts, massive layoffs, another election season in the United States, and everything else spells uncertainty.

Uncertainty plus being bored will lead to feelings of despair, much as it did in 2020 when the pandemic and political chaos reigned.

I advise us to identify being bored NOW so that whatever comes will not push us over to despair. Before the pandemic, society gave us the message that we would find our “whole selves” at work.

When everyone was forced to stay home and we didn’t have the office environment for stimulation, people realized that work was work and our whole selves were much more than work.

If you find yourself in a place where you feel like you’re stuck in a rut, you’re no longer challenging yourself, you’re not growing, and you’ve abandoned your passions. It’s time to start making changes.

You could very well be the problem.

The good thing about being bored is that you CAN do something about your condition.

My Three Top Tips if you’re bored

  1. Admit that you are bored
  2. Take time to evaluate what needs to change
  3. Start exploring and reminding yourself of your passions.

Adulthood means that we have to facilitate our own learning and development. Taking time to evaluate what needs to change can lead you on a journey of exploration that will challenge and cause growth by default.

There’s no time like the present to begin!!