If you've been reading my weekly blog for a while, then you'll know that I'm very honest about my own "work in progress" to create a career I love. Now, don't get me wrong, I love what I do. But there are parts of running my business that don't bring me joy, but I can't yet outsource. And this week, one of these areas was spelled out to me and... it brought me immense relief. Let me tell you about it because I'm sure you can relate to this in your own career, right?

You may be aware (laughing emoji) that I'm running a Strengths Challenge this week. I love running these for many reasons but one of them is that I get to redo my own Strengths Profile. The last time I did this, I was quite cock-a-hoop. You may even remember me patting myself on the back in this blog. I felt full of vim and vigour and had two-thirds of my strengths in the energy zone - woohoo!

But I'm tired...

Fast-forward 4 months and... my energising strengths have dropped back to 50%. And I'm definitely feeling it. I'm a bit tired right now and have been trying to put my finger on why. I definitely need a holiday (one is coming up), there have been a few non-COVID related bugs going round, perimenopause, etc. but confusingly, I'm in pretty good shape with exercise, diet and relaxation. So, what's the answer?

Then, the good old Strengths Profile showed me what has been staring me in the face. A lot of my current activities are energy drainers. I'm working on some new products in my business and this has meant a lot of planning and strategic thinking. My weakest strengths area has always been "thinking". My husband finds this amusing as we have a "tongue in cheek" family motto - "always thinking" (he invented it!). Anyway, I'm an action taker, a self-starter and this serves me well. But there are also times where it's important to slow down and get strategic and plan (even writing that last sentence triggers me!).

So, it turns out that I've been over-using my Thinking strengths and they are now all draining my energy. Some of them have always been drainers (Detail, Organiser, Adherence) but some of them used to be energising (Creativity, Innovation, Adaptable). So, what can I do?

The way forward

Well, I must say that I feel better already because I've identified where this unusual tiredness is coming from.

And, I know it's temporary.

And I know that it will be worth it because the effort now will pay dividends in terms of the work I want to do.

And I know what I have to do to refocus and reframe and win back some of that well deserved energy.

I still have two thinking strengths I can use: judgement (making good, quick decision) and optimism. I have a further 30 odd energising strengths that relate to my values, my ability to self-motivate as well as communicating and relating strengths. I am going to focus on using these daily to get me back on form.

So what?

I'm sharing this anecdote in the hope that it resonates and demonstrates that we all get bogged down in stuff we don't like from time to time. It's the very nature of living and the important thing is that we're working towards something better.

If you're feeling the energy drain right now, ask yourself:

• What is causing this fatigue?
• Is it temporary?
• Is it worth it in the long run?
  What can I control / change about the situation?
• How can I refocus or reframe my activities to bring more energy?

Let's reclaim our energy together!

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