How Kelly (and you) Got the Groove Back

As I was drifting off to sleep last night, I thought of a cool title to my blog. And then I couldn’t remember what else to say...Oh wait—Now I remember. One of my clients, who is a good friend, asked me the other day if he could be brutally honest with me.

Uh-oh.

I of course said, “Sure,” as I was convinced that no matter what he said, there could be some good learning in the exchange. So I was pretty pleasantly surprised when he told me that he thought my last few blog posts just weren’t cutting it.

I had to agree. After all, I was (and still am) sleep deprived and not functioning at my full capacity just yet. But this is not a way for me to explain away mediocre writing. Let’s call it an apology paired with a commitment to try to do better in the future. We joked and said that what I really needed was some drinks. Like, a LOT of drinks. After all, I haven’t been good and lit in more than a year now. I’m due. Pun intended.

All joking aside, I wanted to give some thought to ways to get my mojo back that don’t require me to get inebriated (although I AM looking forward to that, believe me). I read back through some of my old blog posts—going back even a few years—and damn it, there was some really good stuff there, if I do say so myself. So here is what I, and you, can do to get your juices flowing again if you feel like you’ve lost that loving feeling.

1. Walk away. No really—go take a walk. Julia Cameron in her book, "The Artists’ Way" and other creative motivational books, suggests a daily walk as a way to commune with nature, clear your head, and open yourself up to new ideas. Besides, who couldn’t just use some more time outside, especially now when the weather is fleetingly beautiful.
2. Try Something New—I KNOW I have said this before, but I’ll say it again. Take a class, a new way home, or invite a stranger or someone you’d like to get to know better out for coffee. Get out of your comfort zone. If you never read books, read one. If there’s something relatively simple on your bucket list, like going to a minor league ballgame, then darn it, JUST DO IT already.
3. Make amends—this one I stole from Deepak Chopra. Whether it’s a client you disappointed or the kid you pushed off the merry-go-round in third grade, the act of apologizing and moving on will be cathartic and expansive. Give it a try. I’d love it if you chimed in here to tell us how it went.

I know there are a lot more, but I’m hungry and dinner’s ready. If anyone out there can think of any others, I’m all ears!