weLEAD Leadership Tip - Are You Discouraged?

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Leadership Tip of the Month

July 2006

Are You Discouraged?

Have you hit a personal slump in your career? Are you going through a period of discouragement where your attitude has declined and your enthusiasm about work has waned? This occasionally happens to everyone. Most of the time this feeling should pass within a few days or perhaps a week. But sometimes the feeling is deeper and the level of frustration does not seem to improve with time. If you feel you don't have your act together and need to do something about it, here are some things for you to think about.

Beginning today, start to reinvent yourself. If you want things to change, or to feel better about yourself, you need to do something different in your life. Resolve to wake up tomorrow and bring freshness and vitality to your job and your life. It may be something as simple as purchasing a self-improvement book that inspires you. Or you may need to register for a seminar or new class at your local college. Whatever you choose to do, take a bold step toward stimulating some personal growth in your life. You can begin to reinvent yourself one step, and one day at a time. We often become frustrated when we see little hope of change or potential growth in our career. It is common to blame our present profession or employer for our unhappiness. But, before you look for another opportunity, look within yourself to see if you are doing all you can to improve your level of enthusiasm.

Personal satisfaction and success is typically founded on affirmative relationships. We live in a world that often emphasizes material gain and career recognition above the quality of our relationships at home or on the job. While seeking career advancement we often neglect our relationships with others and this leaves a void. It is usually our friends and family that suffer when we get our lives out of balance. It is this lack of balance that causes discouragement or frustration. If you are in a personal rut, ask yourself how healthy your relationships presently are! Take some time to reorient your priorities with your family and loved ones. Also remember that social interaction and genuine caring is important in the workplace. Positive relationships with your co-workers add vitality and joy to the workplace. To have affirmative relationships with your co-workers requires an investment of your time.

Be determined to make a difference. No matter what you are going through, you have important contributions to make to others. Don't allow mistakes or the negative comments of other people convince you otherwise. Don't allow past mistakes to haunt you or hold you back from reaching your potential. Everyone makes mistakes… the difference is that leaders make the effort to learn from their mistakes. The enemy that many of us face is mediocrity. This occurs when we allow ourselves to do just enough to get by… day after day. To get to the next stage in your career you will need to push your thinking and expectations to a higher level. In any environment you can do something productive and have a positive impact on those around you. Doing this will improve your morale and self-respect.

Attitude is everything. Harboring a negative attitude has a disastrous effect on your happiness, self-esteem, productivity and job security. It can also infect others like a contagious disease. Only you have control over your own attitude. Our attitude is not a result of what happens to us or what others say about us. Instead, it is a result of how we choose to interpret events or the comments of others. The exact same event can be defined by one person as a major catastrophe and by another as only a minor setback. It all depends on how we personally react to it! If you are struggling with a negative attitude, contact a friend to help cheer you up, listen to some of your favorite music, or spend some time on your favorite hobby. Another way to improve your attitude is to get your mind off yourself by serving others. You can do this by visiting a friend in the hospital, or mowing a neighbor's lawn, or volunteering your time in the local community. This is another way to move beyond your frustrations by doing something encouraging for others.

If you are discouraged or frustrated for an extended period of time, please see a health care professional. It is not natural to be discouraged or upset for weeks or months. This may be due to a health condition that can be treated.

For weLEAD, this is Greg Thomas reminding you that it was Eleanor Roosevelt who said, "If life were predictable, it would cease to be life and would be without flavor.”