Keeping Your Head when Other's are Losing Theirs
This year began with me taking a trip to Las Vegas for a 3-day workshop with other small business owners who like me, have significant development plans for their businesses this year. I’ve been working with this group for about 6 months and I’ve got to know many of their stories and the challenges they face. The first session of the first day began with a timely reminder of the emotional cycle of change and recognition from each of us of where we are in that cycle. You all know this cycle, even if you don’t know it by name, you know it from experience.
You start off feeling optimistic about what’s ahead, then reality sets in and you realize what you’ve taken on. You head towards the “trough of despair” and at that point, you either give up or your determination kicks in and you push through with a sense of hope and eventual reward.
Life these days, more than ever, seems to be one of constant change and we all experience this roller coaster to a greater or lesser extent. But, what differentiates truly successful people from those who just wish they were, is that they make a decision to persevere towards their goal while others lose commitment altogether and give up because what’s required to succeed just seems too arduous.
Which brings me to the line from Rudyard Kipling’s poem “If” – “…if you can keep your head when all about you are losing theirs…” Having determination and commitment versus having a sense of despair and resignation is driven by your head, by your mindset. I do a lot of work in the oil industry and as oil prices have plummeted and rapid decisions needed to be made that same line from the poem kept coming into my mind; are people going to keep their heads during tough times or are they going to lose them and get stuck in that trough of despair? The faster events unfold and circumstances shift, the harder it can be to stay away from despair and move into determination. However, here are three things you can do to make that shift:
Recognize what’s going on – when you feel a weight on your shoulders, stop and notice what you’re thinking. Simply having self awareness around where you are on the emotional cycle of change helps to regain perspective and feel more in control.
Relate this experience to your Goals – how critical is it to you (and your company or team or family) to get past this challenge? Connecting back to your goals brings stronger impetus to keep moving and not wallow in the trough.
Share your experience with someone you trust – it can be a lot easier to increase your self-awareness around your challenge when you have someone in your corner helping you to do just that.
If things are shifting for you, or indeed if you feel stuck, contact me to talk about your challenge and ways in which I can help you on your way to reward and completion.