Dig in or Shut Down?
Photo by Syd Sujuaan on Unsplash
Every Thursday, I share one action, habit, or project you may want to undertake in order to improve your health, happiness, and sense of well-being.
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PROJECT OF THE WEEK
When working with clients, I have noticed that most people likely fall into one of two categories.
Some clients dig deep when the pressure is on, while others tend to shut down.
Imagine you're in a meeting with your boss a week before a major presentation. Your boss informs you that the entire presentation needs to be reworked. In this situation, do you find the strength to push through, or do you feel overwhelmed and consider giving up?
If you are a college student and you get a failing grade on your midterm, do you meet with the professor to review what you didn't understand and make a plan for how to do well on the final, or do you just give up because you likely won't pass anyway?
Getting Started
While there are ways to learn how to dig in rather than shut down, I think the first step is to understand where you are.
If you know that your quality of work tends to decrease as the pressure increases, how can you reduce the pressure, while continuing to grow and succeed?
If you are a student, one way is to take one less course. I commonly recommend that college freshman take four courses their first semester while they are figuring out college life. This builds self-confidence, which is a key factor in one's ability to bounce back from obstacles.
This can be more difficult when it comes to work.
Prior to choosing a company to work for, pay attention to its work culture. Is it supportive or competitive? This would make a great question during the interview process - do you feel like you provide an environment that promotes competition amongst team members?
Is the promotion you are being offered really the best fit? Or will the additional responsibility cause you to go from liking your job to dreading it? And, maybe failing at it.
Be honest with your boss when they ask if you can take on a new project. I would be willing to bet that nine out of ten times, the reason you don’t want to take on the new project isn’t because you don’t actually want to do the work. Instead, you’re worried about your other responsibilities and doing those well. Your boss should know that.
Meet with your boss regularly to help prioritize your work.
It's important that we understand ourselves and accept where we are so others can meet us there. Having a plan and feeling confident in your communication will eliminate the need to shut down when the going gets tough. Instead, you’ll be able to prioritize, plan, and move forward in a way that’s productive for you and your work.
How can we shape our environments to support our growth and success?
Ready to Get Started?
If you feel excited about implementing this strategy and want some additional accountability and support to get started, the It’s All in the Planning Starter Pak was designed for you!
A Note from Happy Spaces
The goal is to add value to your life. If you think this project will add value:
Estimate how long you think it will take. I would recommend doubling the time you estimate.
Look at your calendar over the next week and pick a date and time to get started.
Make an appointment on your calendar for the estimated time.
If you estimate that completing this project will take longer than one hour, I recommend doing it over multiple days. This will support you in getting started!
Prior to starting this project, take a few minutes to make a step-by-step list of EVERY action you need to take to complete this project.
It's not all or nothing. You can choose to implement only the parts of this project that add value to your life.
An Accountability Partner can be a great support in following through on your goals and commitments.
We understand how challenging it can be to implement new habits and systems. For additional support please go to HappySpacesBySarah.com.
Creating a life you don't need a vacation from! ®
Sincerely,
Sarah Weingarten
Meet Sarah
Growing up as the oldest of nine siblings in Upstate New York, I learned to use organization to create sanity among the chaos. Today, I work together with individuals, families, and small businesses to create habits, systems, and spaces that support their needs, goals, and dreams. Clients often refer to our work together as "life-changing" and "better than decades of therapy". What I love most about my work is the lasting impact it has on real people's lives. Nothing makes me happier than hearing the many success stories of clients I have worked with.