A few weeks ago I was talking a good friend and she said, "I am just plain bored with life!" The conversation was really quite amusing because my friend was telling me she got up and didn't feel motivated to do anything. Even though my friend was busy raising two little girls, working part-time, and training for a triathlon, boredom was still looming over her, trying to get her full attention. My friend new she had to figure out the root cause of this apathy but she was kind of scared to find out the answers. My friend's husband asked her a pertinent question, "What are you passionate about?" My friend couldn't really give a solid answer to this question but wondered if she had to reassess her career. Her job as a massage therapist was becoming too routine and didn't challenge her the way it used to.

Boredom is a message from our soul that we need to make changes in our life. When we become apathetic and disengaged from life, it means life has become too routine and we need to shake things up a bit. If we end up going through life in a robotic way, just getting through the same tasks each day, we will become bored. In order to feel alive and excited about life, we need to take on new challenges and step outside of our comfort zone.

When I find myself dealing with boredom, I know it's a wake-up call that life has become too mechanical. As someone who has always preferred more of a structured life (think it's the Virgo in me), I need to make a conscious effort to break out of my daily routine. For example one summer I decided to take a hip hop dance class that was being offered through UW-Madison. I absolutely love to dance and the class was a way to express my creative self. Last summer I decided to buy my first road bike and ended up falling in life with cycling.

If you find boredom has coming knocking, open the door and figure out what boredom is telling you. Maybe you need to make a change in your job, move outside of your comfort zone, find a hobby, or immerse yourself in learning something new. When we remain curious about life and keep ourselves challenged, boredom is no longer an issue.

Colleen Canney is a Career, Life, and Wellness Coach based in Seattle, WA. For more information on Colleen, please visit her website at www.colleencanney.com or contact her for a FREE consultation at colleencanney@live.com.