What to Do When You Lose Your Why

There comes a moment when the fire goes out.

The run that once felt purposeful feels flat. The role that once inspired you feels heavy. The “why” that kept you showing up seems to have slipped away.

It can feel like failure. But losing your why is not failure. It’s a signal.

Psychologist Viktor Frankl wrote that meaning is not something we hold once and for all. It is discovered again and again, in new contexts and circumstances. Recent research on burnout echoes this: we don’t just lose energy, we lose connection to purpose. And the way back isn’t more effort. It’s realignment.

For women, this is especially true. Our “why” often shifts with the seasons of life: early career, motherhood, caregiving, transitions. What once drove us may no longer fit the current reality of our bodies, our time, or our responsibilities. That isn’t a weakness. It’s evidence that purpose is alive, not fixed.

If you’ve lost your why, here are ways to begin again:

• Pause before pushing: Don’t rush to fill the void with more doing. Create space to listen.
• Ask better questions: Not “what’s my why?” but “what matters most in this season?”
• Test, don’t declare: Purpose is discovered through action. Try small experiments and notice what reawakens energy.
• Let it evolve: Your why is not static. It is meant to shift, expand, and be redefined.

Losing your why is not the end. It’s the invitation to reconnect.

Reflection Prompt

• Where in my life am I trying to push through without purpose?
• What small action could help me rediscover meaning in this season?