Distance Provides Better Perspective

It’s not uncommon, when folks are going through challenges – whether it’s a good challenge of activating creativity on a new project or a challenge in dealing with a difficult situation, they can’t seem to get clarity on the best direction for their situation.  Many times that’s because they are simply too close to it.  It’s important to step back from it.  If it is not a crucially time sensitive matter, give yourself a break from trying to get to the answer; rest from the overanalyzing and mental dissecting of the situation.  Granting yourself this time and distance will allow you to have “fresh eyes” when you review it at a later time.  This is similar to the saying: “When you’re in the forest, you can’t see the trees.”  This is also why it is so easy for close friends and family to give love ones great advice.  When you’re not in the middle of it - with no attachment, especially emotional attachment – solutions and ideas become clearer.  The next time you have a pressing decision to make or you’re at loss for inspiration for a new project - take a step back from it.  More often than not, you’ll find when you look at it again – other options will present themselves.

Continued Learning

When it comes to careers, many folks unknowingly limit themselves to stay within the confines of their own “safe zones”.  A safe zone may be defined as a well acclimated environment or activity where individuals know exactly what to expect and the outcomes they will achieve.  Because there is little or no sense of creativity and adventure – their learning and growth becomes stunted on these career plateaus.  Now there will always be certain periods in people’s lives when it’s good to cruise in a safe zone for a while. These times may be when there is instability in other areas of their lives and the last thing they need is to be concerned about is career growth.  In fact enjoying the scenery and reaping the benefits of familiar successes creates gratitude and builds self confidence.  However, with that being said, if everything else is status quo, being in overly long periods on a plateau is not healthy for the mind or spirit.  As human beings we’re designed to grow and stretch beyond our comfort zones.  If this is not achieved in our careers, it should be achieved in other areas of our lives, through our passions or hobbies. The mind needs to be constantly stimulated with continued learning and growth.  To help ensure you’re not stuck in your own safe zone, ask yourself these simple daily questions - applicable to both your career and life.  What have I learned today?  What do I want to learn more of?  What aspect of my life would I like to increase fulfillment?  These simple questions will keep learning and growing on the forefront of your mind.

Pause

Recently I taught another new class, an amazing group of passionate women ready to take the next step to pursue their dreams and ambitions. As a certified coach, at these workshops I always share my past life and career experiences not to impress the audience – but to impress upon them that all goals are achievable as long as you are taking supportive action towards them. One question a student asked was “How do I get out of this idleness I am stuck in?” Now, everything is a mind set. This idleness can be viewed as many things to different people. It can be viewed as a result of self-doubt, past poorly made decisions, fear of failure, or uncertainty of direction; all these may result in a lack of assertiveness to confidently move forward. From a more positive and productive approach, I like to view idleness as simply a brief pause. It’s important to have pauses in our lives for self reflection of our past learning. And everyone has these pauses. The most successful people have had the most pauses in their lifetime. During these pauses, ask yourself these simple questions: what you like and dislike about results you’ve gotten, what you’re good at and not good at; and lastly, what ultimately makes you truly happy with a steadfast sense of fulfillment. I don’t even encourage time to review past bad decisions – if you’re already reflecting on results you did not like – that in itself is enough to move you forward and away from making bad choices again. The problem is too many people focus in on the path of their mistakes, creating overwhelming guilt and re-living the pain over and over, not being able to move forward. Release yourself from unproductive thoughts; spend your energy on the future, not the past. You’ll find this pause, this time of reflection - will help shape future decisions on which direction you’d like to move in. So don’t be too hard on yourself for “idleness”; embrace this pause and utilize it as a productive base to launch you forward to your life’s next adventure. Get Ready, Get Inspired!