14 Questions to Ask When Distinguishing Between a Temporary Lull and Losing Your Passion
Feeling uncertain about your professional direction can be confusing, but this article offers key questions to help distinguish between temporary motivation issues and true passion loss. Industry experts provide practical frameworks for identifying whether you’re experiencing normal fluctuations or facing a deeper career challenge. The fourteen assessment points offer concrete ways to evaluate your relationship with your work beyond surface-level emotions.
- Track Your Emotional Response to Industry Conversations
- Trust Body Signals Over Mental Justifications
- Measure Curiosity Rather Than Daily Enthusiasm
- Identify Energy Drains Separate From Core Mission
- Ask If Core Activities Still Excite You
- Fix Business Problems Not Passion Problems
- Test Core Work Excitement After Stepping Away
- Monitor Whether Enthusiasm Returns After Rest
- Reflect on Satisfaction Versus Resentment Feelings
- Watch Your Response to Technical Challenges
- Find Purpose Beyond Process and Routine
- Break Down Goals to Manage Emotional Rollercoaster
- Engage Directly With Your Passion Again
- Distinguish Between Comfort and Genuine Excitement
Track Your Emotional Response to Industry Conversations
After 30 years in tech leadership and now coaching technologists through career transitions, I’ve learned to spot the difference through what I call “energy archaeology” — digging into when you last felt genuinely alive in your work.
During temporary lulls, you’ll still get that spark when discussing core problems in your field. I had a client who thought he was done with software engineering until we explored a recent debugging session that had him working until 2am — not because he had to, but because the puzzle consumed him. That’s passion in hibernation, not passion dead.
The genuine shift reveals itself through your body’s response to industry conversations. When I was burning out in corporate, I’d physically tense up hearing about new product launches or team restructuring. Compare that to now — even on my worst coaching days, hearing about someone’s breakthrough still lights me up inside.
I ask clients to track their “Sunday night feeling” for three weeks. Temporary dips show mixed emotions – some dread, but also curiosity about Monday’s challenges. A genuine shift feels like sustained flatness, where even exciting projects feel like obligations you’re performing rather than problems you’re solving.
Trust Body Signals Over Mental Justifications
I distinguished between a lull and a genuine shift by paying attention to my body, not just my thoughts. A lull felt like temporary fatigue; I still lit up when I imagined the work, even if I was tired of the daily grind. A real shift, though, showed up as heaviness in my chest and no spark in my system, even when I pictured the parts of the work I usually loved.
The questions I asked myself were: When I imagine doing this a year from now, does my body expand or contract? Is this just a part of me that needs rest, or is another part calling me toward a new direction? If I took away fear and obligation, what would I choose? Those reflections gave me clarity to honor when I needed a break and when it was time to pivot.
Measure Curiosity Rather Than Daily Enthusiasm
I stopped measuring my passion by my level of enthusiasm, which can change daily with campaign results. Instead, I measure my level of curiosity. A temporary lull is when I’m frustrated by a problem, like a sudden drop in ad performance. A genuine move away from my passion is when I’m no longer interested in finding the solution. The core work becomes a chore, not a challenge.
I ask myself, “Am I still trying to figure this out in the shower?” If my mind is still working on the puzzle of customer acquisition when I’m not at my desk, the passion is alive. It’s just a tough week. But if I find myself actively avoiding thinking about the core business problems, that’s the real indicator that my interest has changed and it might be time to move on.
Identify Energy Drains Separate From Core Mission
Every entrepreneur eventually faces the question: am I just tired, or am I losing the passion that started this journey? I hit that point a few years into building my company. We were growing, but I found myself dragging through tasks that once energized me. At first, I worried I was falling out of love with what I’d built.
What helped me distinguish between a temporary lull and a real shift was asking myself where the fatigue was coming from. Was it the mission itself, or was it the grind surrounding it? I remember taking a step back and journaling through a few key questions: Do I still light up when I talk about our bigger vision? Do I get curious when a client shares a new challenge? Or do I feel indifferent?
The answers surprised me. Whenever I was in conversations with clients — brainstorming solutions, mapping customer journeys, talking about the “why” behind their businesses — I felt the same spark as day one. But when I was buried in repetitive admin work, that spark dimmed. That told me it wasn’t the passion that had shifted, it was my energy being drained by things that weren’t aligned with it.
That realization pushed me to make changes — delegating more, building systems, and giving myself permission to focus where my enthusiasm naturally lived. Looking back, it was a temporary lull rooted in burnout, not a true departure from passion.
The key lesson for me was this: passion doesn’t disappear overnight. If you strip away the noise and still feel genuine curiosity and excitement about the core of what you do, it’s still there. But if you no longer feel connected to the “why,” even when conditions are ideal, that’s when it may be time to pivot.
For me, reconnecting with the parts of the work that gave me energy reminded me that my passion for building human-centered technology was intact. It just needed room to breathe.
Ask If Core Activities Still Excite You
After 35 years in the BBQ world, I’ve noticed the difference between burn out and falling out of love. A temporary lapse feels like exhaustion, you tire of the effort, but still get excited for smoke and the formation of a perfect bark. A real change feels like apathy. The thing that used to make you cancel everything around it is now an obligation.
During tough competition seasons or the slow months of retail, I wonder, “If someone handed me a perfectly marbled brisket, would I want to smoke it?” If I say yes and am just exhausted, it is temporary. If I say “who cares,” that is different.
I’m also careful what I watch in my down time. Even in a lull I’m still watching BBQ videos, reading about new techniques, texting other pitmasters. When the passion changes, you won’t reach for a single source anymore. Your algorithm changes too because you aren’t clicking on anything.
Take two weeks completely away. When you get back, are you starving to get your hands in the mess again? Then it is burnout. But if you can’t believe that cleverness and humor has any interest anymore, heed that. Passion does not die overnight. It dies slowly over time while you are too stubborn to realize. The questions simply help you be honest with what you know already.
Fix Business Problems Not Passion Problems
I learned to stop diagnosing my feelings and start diagnosing the business. A lull in enthusiasm usually means stalled progress, not some mystical loss of passion. When you’re solving real problems for customers and seeing tangible results, whether that’s sales or positive feedback, the energy and motivation take care of themselves. The real danger is misinterpreting a business-model problem as a personal passion problem.
I don’t ask myself if I still love what I do. Instead, I ask what specific metric has flatlined or what part of the customer journey is broken. Focusing on a solvable, external problem like fixing a conversion funnel or improving a product works far better than navel-gazing. Solving the business issue almost always reignites the enthusiasm that was missing.
Test Core Work Excitement After Stepping Away
It came down to how I felt once I stepped away. In real estate, some days drain you and other days remind you why you started. When I hit what felt like a lull, I asked myself if I was still energized by the core of the work, not just the day-to-day grind. Did I still feel excited walking a property, analyzing a deal, or seeing a client unlock the next stage of their life or business? If the answer was yes, then I knew it was fatigue rather than a loss of passion. I also asked what I would do if money and obligation weren’t part of the equation. Every time, the answer circled back to real estate. That clarity told me the spark was still there.
The industry has its cycles and so do we as individuals. I learned that temporary lulls are usually solved by adjusting focus, taking a short breather, or finding a new angle to challenge myself. A genuine shift away from passion, on the other hand, would feel like indifference to the things that once motivated me. I haven’t felt that indifference, and that’s how I know I’m still in the right place.
Monitor Whether Enthusiasm Returns After Rest
I have always made the distinction between a temporary low point and an actual shift in worldview or reality based on a continued observation of how I was feeling. In the early era of my business, I certainly experienced fatigue some days; I also experienced stress. As well as, or in contrast to fatigue, my enthusiasm was dulled. What I noticed was that fatigue and stress would alter the pitch of my enthusiasm, but it always returned after I rested or got a change of perspective. An actual shift would have felt permanent, accompanied by disinterest and no desire to work — even after I had recovered from fatigue or stress. I was mindful of whether my enthusiasm for connecting with customers when they came in the door, my curiosity to explore coffee and what coffee can do, and my commitment to build our team would reignite my passion for our work. They did, so I knew that it was just a temporary low and not the complete end of my excitement about Valor Coffee and the things we worked for.
The questions I was asking myself concerning my thoughts were around clarity and being aligned. I would ask myself, “Am I tired, or am I truly disinterested?” “Does this work still energize me when I think of the future?” “Would I regret walking away?” These were my reflections that helped me navigate this temporary burnout compared to a deeper signal — signaling me to quit working and try something different, shading my promise to the mission behind my business.
Reflect on Satisfaction Versus Resentment Feelings
Distinguishing between a temporary lull in enthusiasm and a real energetic shift away from passion requires deep reflection on how you feel over time, not just in the current moment. Everyone will experience burnout at some point. Discerning whether it’s burnout or a genuine lack of excitement for what once was a passion is the key. Does the activity still bring satisfaction or a feeling of resentment? Is the lack of interest due to external factors such as stress or a loss of core motivation? If new possibilities feel more compelling, it may be time to explore a new path. Check in with yourself, ask the deep questions, and give yourself time for reflection; there you will find the answer… is this a temporary lull or have I lost my passion?
Watch Your Response to Technical Challenges
There have definitely been times when I’ve asked myself whether I was simply tired or if my passion for building a tech company had shifted. For me, the distinction always came down to curiosity. If I still found myself excited about new systems, smarter workflows, or ways to scale human creativity with technology, then I knew it wasn’t a loss of passion, just a lull that comes with long stretches of hard work. When the late nights felt heavy, I’d ask myself: do I still get energy from the problems we’re solving, or am I avoiding them? That question cut through the noise quickly. I’d also consider whether I was still willing to put myself on the line for the vision. If the answer was yes, then it was fatigue, not disinterest.
Building my company taught me that passion doesn’t disappear in a single moment. It ebbs and flows, especially in the world of tech where challenges evolve constantly. What matters is whether the underlying drive to create, innovate, and push the delivery of design at scale still sparks something in you. For me, that spark has always been there, even when the day-to-day feels draining.
Find Purpose Beyond Process and Routine
There was a period a few years into running my law firm when I felt drained. The energy I once brought into personal injury and medical malpractice work was not there. I started questioning if I was still on the right path or just going through the motions. To figure it out, I had to get quiet and honest with myself.
I asked a few simple but powerful questions. Do I still feel purpose in the outcome of the work, even if I am tired of the process? Would I be doing this if there was no title or recognition? When a client calls with a real problem, do I still care deeply about helping them find a way through it?
What I realized was that the passion was still there; it was just buried under burnout and routine. I was not tired of the work. I was tired of doing it without balance or creativity. That was my turning point. I made space to delegate more, reconnect with why I started, and explore new ways to serve clients.
A lull in enthusiasm does not always mean the passion is gone. Sometimes it just needs room to breathe again. Asking the right questions helped me find that clarity.
Break Down Goals to Manage Emotional Rollercoaster
Most people don’t fall out of love with their passion, they just get tired of chasing it without a plan.
Building a startup is a rollercoaster of emotions. Some days you feel unstoppable, and others you question why you’re putting in so much effort for so little return. When I was building my Australian fitness brand, selling weight lifting belts and lifting gear, I learned to manage that by breaking everything down into 3-month goals, then monthly and weekly targets. It gave structure to the chaos. If your emotional brain is always zoomed out on the big picture, you will freeze. If you’re only focused on today, you’ll lose direction. The balance between vision and execution is what keeps both your business and your passion strong.
Engage Directly With Your Passion Again
I take time to engage with my passion to see if it’s just a temporary disconnect.
A few months ago, I was feeling tired at the thought of picking up a book. But I took an hour to myself after work and re-read Charles Dickens.
An hour later, I reflected on whether reading made me feel energized or if it felt like a chore.
Revisiting my core purpose has always helped me question if my work still aligns with my long-term goals.
When feeling disconnected, it also helps me to question whether I’m continuing because I want to grow or because it’s convenient.
Distinguish Between Comfort and Genuine Excitement
For me, a lull was often accompanied by frustration with a faint glimmer of energy hiding within, proof that the work still had meaning even if it needed to be recalibrated. A true shift felt different; it felt like silence. Regardless of rest, new engagements with projects, or new perspectives, the spark was gone because the connection to work was gone.
What I asked myself was, “Am I holding on because I still have excitement for it, or because I am familiar with it? If I don’t go back to this tomorrow, will I feel a loss or feel liberated?” That put it in some clarity. A lull tests your patience, but a true shift tests your purpose. Clarity on this distinction allowed me to dig in or move forward into something new.
