3 Ways to Bring More Joy Into Your Work and Creative Projects

Feeling burned out, overwhelmed, or disillusioned with your work or creative projects? Bring the fun and meaning back into your days with these three simple tips

Remember all that passion and joy you felt when you started a new career or a new work or creative project? These feelings don’t have to evaporate over time. That tingly excitement in your tummy when you just couldn’t wait to get up in the morning and continue working can be brought back.

If you ever finding yourself feeling disillusioned or just getting a bit too serious about your work, it may be time to take a step back. Infuse more of your days with joy by infusing the love you put into your work/service every morning.

Here are three simple ways to bring those delicious feelings of excitement to those days when you’re just not feeling it.

1. Remember why you started

While most of us want to have a certain level of physical comfort in our lives, there’s a deeper driver behind any work we do. We want to know that our physical needs are taken care of so that we can focus on our larger mission — helping others, being of service, leaving a legacy. This is what our souls ultimately get the most joy from.

If your greatest desire with your work is to make an impact — to know that your days here have mattered — bring this to mind every time you feel down.

Overwhelmed with all of the amazing ideas that you have yet to execute on? Become excited that you’re doing something that will benefit others in the long-run.

Realize that it’s better to get a few focused tasks done right than to get a random mix of things done fast.

The truth is — you will never be done.

You are a creative being.

More ideas will always keep flowing your way. And that is beautiful! It’s where innovation happens. It’s how we expand our lives beyond what they’ve ever been. It’s the universe’s mechanism for keeping humanity growing and evolving!

When you feel overwhelmed, just remember that you’re part of bringing something larger to life. Take things as they come. Watch for synchronicities that inspire you to act on any given idea at a certain time. Instead of taking action just for the sake of action, take inspired action that helps you remember why you started in the first place.

2. Always be curious

When you feel like you’re placing too many demands on yourself, bring in some curiosity. As a recovering workaholic and over-achiever, I’m still learning to slow down and ask: what am I rushing towards?

Why do I constantly feel like I need to be doing more, more, more? Is my current level of contribution to the world not enough? Is there a deeper feeling of unworthiness for not being good enough as I am? Could this be leading to an unconscious need to justify my worthiness with more doing rather than focusing the quality of my inner being?

Learn to become curious of your own motives and behaviors - without judgement. Consider the fact that perhaps the thoughts that led to these behaviors aren’t even yours to begin with!

Society has taught us to always be on the run — to always strive for more. It’s very possible that you’ve simply caught this “do more so you can consume more” bug from your environment.

Examine your past work and creative environments…you may notice a pattern.

Perhaps you’ve spent years working at a job where there was no sense of work-life balance. Perhaps your parents were workaholics. Perhaps your social media feeds are making you feel like you have to do more to somehow match those you follow.

Whatever your work environment has been, realize that you can separate your sense of self from it. You are always in control of how you respond. You are the center of your universe.

When you feel like you’ve got too much on your plate, pause and ask yourself why. Taking the time to slow down, relax, and look at the big picture can help you reassess your priorities so you can be focused on what really matters — rather than on meeting expectations you have picked up from society.

3. Bring in some playfulness

Every morning you awaken is another morning closer to you not being on this physical plane.

Personally, when I feel stuck in life, I love to contemplate my own mortality. It reminds me that I’m not here forever — that there’s no need to rush towards my own death. No need to get so serious about any particular thing as to trade in that sweet feeling of enjoying this moment. And I have to admit that I forget this often…so I have to keep reminding myself.

“This is the real secret of life — to be completely engaged with what you are doing in the here and now. And instead of calling it work, realize it is play.” — Alan Watts

Can you see it all as a game? Even while you are helping others, providing excellent service, sharing your wisdom, or creating unique works of art — all of these things were meant to be infused with joy.

Business and creativity were both meant to be about the combination of service and joy in one.

Ultimately, everything we do is an opportunity to express the amazing qualities we all have within. It’s a way for us to help take care of one another. Because at a deeper level, we realize our interconnectedness. So it’s really just life taking care of life…and what could be more fun and exciting than that?

Be playful about it all: your work, your creative projects…your life. Even as you’re constantly learning and finding new ways to grow your impact, it’s all happening within the present moment.

It’s all happening in a larger game of the cosmos. Your enjoyment of the game is what matters. Because when you enjoy it, your joy can’t help but touch all those who you interact with.

And one by one, our joys collide and create brighter communities, nations, and ultimately —a brighter world.