10 years ago, I made one of the biggest mistakes of my life.
Or so I thought at the time.
I was still living in Atlanta but would be moving soon to NJ.
Even as I prepared to relocate with my family, I was unsure whether I'd stay in school leadership or move into coaching.
One of the positions I was pursuing was a part-time principal position.
Truth is, it really wasn't the best fit for me, and I knew it.
Read MoreWe all tend to get dragged down and overwhelmed by things that accumulate over time and end up cluttering our minds.
When we identify them - even if we're not prepared to do anything about them right now - we raise our awareness and naturally start to handle, fix, and resolve them.
Start by making a list of what youโre putting up with at work and at home to determine what might be cluttering your mind and slowing you down!
Examples could be: incomplete tasks, frustrations, problems, other peopleโs or your own behavior, clutter, shoulds, unmet needs, crossed boundaries, unresolved issues or guilt, lack of exercise, eating habits, being indecisive, procrastinating, lack of sleep, etc.
When you're feeling down or just "not in the mood"...
just take action!
This morning, I woke up feeling anything but "up."
I wasn't in the mood for my morning workout and was feeling a bit down in general due to some recent developments (nothing major, thank G-d.)
So, what did I do?
I remembered William (Bill) McRaven's "Make your bed!" motto and I decided to take action.
I grew up in a home that was poor
Not materially poor (we were โmiddle class,โ but on the lower end,) as much as mentally poor
While we never went hungry, we also never had the luxuries many others enjoyed
But that wasnโt what made us โpoorโ
For three years, I poured my blood, sweat, and tears into being the best head of school I could be.
And then, one day, it all ended.
Eight years and one month ago, I was out of work and needed to start again.
Thousands of miles away from where I grew up and where all of my family and friends lived.
Entering a field that I knew little about and had no reputation to speak of.
Relocating my family to a small, grungy house that had "potential," because that was all that we could afford in our new, more expensive community.
It was a dark time in my life.
But, I had promised myself then that I would never again be beholden to others for my income.
So, I hung a shingle and got to work.
We all have lots of decisions to make. ๐ค
Some of them in retrospect don't look so good. ๐ก
But whatever happened, it's already over.
We need to learn to let things go and allow ourselves the space to move forward, find solutions and live our lives moving on to the fullest.
Give yourself permission to make mistakes.
Read MoreDidn't have the week you wanted?
Some of us can look back at the outgoing week and smile, thinking about all that was accomplished.
Others, maybe not so much.
Here are some *BLOCK* tips that can help make your last day of the week the most productive:
BLOCK out the past - What happened happened. No use in crying over spilled milk. ๐ฅ
Corporate life has earned a well-deserved reputation as being cold, calculated and non-emotive. Bosses seem to have picked up that there is little room for emotions and connection behind their business suits and spreadsheets. This approach, an outgrowth of the โboys donโt cryโ school of thought, maintains that work is work. It should be a place of logical, rational thought, where you donโt give into emotional thinking. And you certainly donโt display any emotions you do feel to those around you because itโs both not professional and leaves you too vulnerable.
A new school of thought, getting increasingly more traction, argues that emotions and vulnerability are part of who we are. If we want true authenticity and power at work, we need to be willing to feel and acknowledge our emotions in our everyday activities.
Of course, this does not mean that we can or should allow our emotions to seize control of situations and dominate our thinking. It simply offers us permission to acknowledge how we feel and use those feelings as a way of taking our emotional temperature and take proper action when we feel sad, anxious, stressed and the like.
But it would be a mistake to think of workplace emotions only from a negative standpoint, as in how to handle our emotions when weโre feeling out of whack. Positive emotions deserve more attention as drivers of workplace connection, collaboration, motivation and engagement. Leaders who learn how to channel positivity and infuse it into their teams will see significant results in such areas as creativity, productivity, and retention.
Such positive emotion often starts with gratitude.
Read MoreHow can we stay positive when the "weather" that surrounds us is bleak?
Here are some tips:
Find the positives โ - In every situation, there are positives and things to be grateful for. Despite the rain, the weather is quite warm. Actually, the warmest we're had in weeks. A down market offers opportunities to buy on the cheap. Reduced volume gives us time to think and strategize about how to grow when the trends reverse.
It's all pointing up โฌ๏ธ - Starting tomorrow, the day will begin to lengthen. It will be a long climb, but it will happen. The rain will clear out as well. We can't predict when we've hit bottom in our personal lives, but past experiences tell us that better days are ahead.
