Losing your spark?
Text: Andrew Horton. Article from the June/July 2013 issue of Your Business Magazine.
Don’t become complacent – as a leader, you need to stay motivated. Here are a few ways to keep up your passion and your drive…
Hold on to the right picture of possibility
Vision is the only thing that will provide you with clear direction and daily purpose for all your actions. Vision will allow you to stop focusing your energy on all the things that are wrong in your life and instead allow you to focus on all the things that are working and leading you towards the success you desire.
When you focus on all the challenges you are experiencing, you will ask poor quality questions like, “How can I get through my day?” This will not teach you anything; it will leave you in a bubble of overwhelm. As soon as you have clarity about where you are going, you are immediately equipped to ask a better quality question such as, “What can I get from my day?” By keeping an open, exploring outlook in which you are consistently looking for solutions within a modality of learning and growth, you overcome the obstacles of an overwhelmed state of mind.
Learn the art of no longer thinking about how bad things are but focus instead on how good they will and can be, in the future. This is only possible if you have a crystal clear vision for the future, which serves as the prize you can focus on.
Improve your self-esteem
A few simple behavioural shifts can help to enhance your self-esteem and self-confidence while spurring you on towards your vision. Some of these shifts may be things you already do automatically; if not, I suggest you try to gradually introduce all of them into your life to create a new attitude that makes a habit of success-orientated thinking.
Greet people with a smile:
This may sound really obvious, but it still astounds me to see how many people do not use this really powerful tool to their advantage. Flashing an authentic smile and making direct eye contact with people, conveys confidence born of self-respect. Even when speaking to people over the phone, smile and convey the same level of confidence you would convey to them if you were actually looking them in the eye. Introduce yourself as early in the conversation as possible, as this underscores the fact that you have real self-confidence and belief in yourself.
Show real appreciation:
If someone pays you a compliment, don’t downplay it. Accept it graciously and thank the person. The ability to accept compliments graciously is the sign of someone with solid self-esteem and high levels of confidence.
Never brag:
People who feel the need to brag about their own exploits or who demand special attention, feel inadequate and believe they must build their image in the eyes of others.
Don’t place your challenges centre stage:
Always talk positively about your life and progress, showing those around you that although we all experience setbacks, you are nevertheless confident that you can overcome yours, as you have always done in the past. Never engage in negative thinking and never criticise people around you. Rather find helpful ways to be supportive and try to see how you can make things better.
Increase productive activity:
When facing challenges, don’t just sit around and act like a victim. Get active, not frantic, and find a solution by working systematically to find the right one. Malcolm Forbes said it well: “Vehicles in motion use their generators to charge their own batteries. Unless you happen to be a golf cart, you can’t recharge your battery when you are parked in the garage.”
See mistakes as learning opportunities:
As long as you keep trying to succeed, and continue taking inspired action, you can never fail. Each setback or challenge is merely the conclusion of one performance, not the end of your entire career. Own up to your shortcomings, take corrective action and never ever view yourself as a failure. Learn the lesson each mistake, setback, challenge and roadblock offers and even pause for a moment to lick your wounds, if you have to. Then move on and get on with the job of achieving your vision.
Know the consequences
The potential consequences of any task or action determine how important that specific activity is to you and your company.
Identify the significant tasks:
We tend to overload ourselves with all the goals we want to achieve in year one, so we miss our target and are left feeling overwhelmed. So we give up.
Take a long-term perspective:
A study by Dr E. Banfield of Harvard University concluded that having and holding onto a long-term perspective is the most important factor when determining your upward social mobility. People who think in long term time horizons and view their lives and careers in the long term, are better equipped to make sound decisions than people who think in the short term.
When you know how you want your future to unfold – and believe you can get there – it becomes easier to assess the consequences of your daily actions or the lack of action. It also becomes easier to stay motivated, and to keep up your passion and your drive.
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