When Did You Lose Your Fire?
You weren’t born to just get through the week. But how many of us are doing exactly that? Moving through life uninspired, drained, just checking the days. It’s not that I don’t understand why — it’s that I know we have more control than we think. Because at some point, you had a fire in your belly. A passion for something.
When did you lose it?
When did “just making it” become enough?
And, more importantly, when are you going to take it back?
Lately I’ve been having conversations with professionals who feel unoptimized — capable of more but stuck. It’s easy to stay in roles that zap our energy. Roles we should have left years ago. But we don’t, trapped by comfort, a steady paycheck, or fear of stepping out on faith. And in staying, we let that role suffocate our fire.
I know this feeling. I’ve had those moments in my career when I felt worn down. At some point, I had to be honest with myself: Maybe I was better suited for something else. And maybe the organization needed leadership that aligned more with its ambitions. The turning point came when I stopped asking, “What’s expected of me?” and started asking, “What actually energizes me?” That shift made all the difference.
Too many of us dread Sundays because Monday is coming. Sunday isn’t a day to reflect, re-center, and re-energize. It’s the last bit of borrowed time before the cycle starts again. We don’t see our jobs as vocations. We see them as notations — just another line item on the to-do list. But a vocation is more than just a job. It’s work that aligns with your purpose, passions, and strengths. It’s what you’re called to do, not just what you get paid to do.
We are each given different gifts, and we choose how to apply them. Your gifts weren’t meant to be buried in routine. When you stop engaging with your work — when you stop seeing it as a way to contribute, grow, or create impact — you don’t just lose motivation. You lose time you can’t get back.
What if you made a different choice? What if you started reclaiming your energy today?
1. Start small. Identify one thing that once energized you at work. Can you bring a version of that back?
2. Make a list of what drains your energy vs. what fuels it. Then commit to reducing one drain and increasing one fuel this week.
3. Find a project inside your company that better aligns with your passion. A “side hustle” within the enterprise — something that feeds your fire even if it’s not your primary job.
Life is too short to drift. Too short to check the days instead of living them. Imagine waking up excited again, bringing your full energy to work, making an impact, and knowing you’re growing.
Let me ask you one more time: When did you lose your fire? And, what are you going to do to take it back?
Originally published in the St. Louis Business Journals Ask The Expert Column in March 2025 by Orv Kimbrough, Chairman and CEO.