Do What You Love Take Care Of Yourself Embrace No And Keep Moving
We talk a lot about avoiding burnoutthese days: “the economy” “work/life balance” and all sorts of topics provide us with lots to discuss andlots to “work harder” on.In my experience thequickest way I knowto prevent burnout isnot to “avoid it” after allwe create whatwe think about and even more so what we avoid but rather to make sure we’re doing stuff that has meaning and purpose forus EVERY SINGLE DAY. Especially whenin the midst ofstressful or challengingtimes. Finding joy dreaming and focusing on the impact we want to create with our lives can help us focus on the right things put our attention in productive areas and lead us through the unknown paths.
If you’re not in the dream role dream business or dream situation right now it’s worth taking the time toexplore what that dream rolemight be and then getting into action.If you’re not feeling “the love” in your life or connected or engaged it’s worthreaching out to create it. If you’re dissatisfied it’s worth finding the “request” under that dissatisfaction and getting into action.I believe that one of thegreatest GIFTS we have in our lives bar none is to be able to identify where we’re at where wewant to be and then to do something with it. Those “gaps” in satisfaction are beacons that can show us what needs to be designed in our lives and organizationstomakeit even better.
How does this apply to you personally? I’m not sure obviously only you canknow what’s true for you.AndI do know that I personally am in the question everyday of “What reality am I creating for myself?”"How am I helping things go right? Or not?” My beliefs and mindset influence the actions I take which influence the resultsI get at workat home andin life in general. Seeing this makes it easier because Ican createa “presence point” to check my mindset and see where it’s at and where it may need to shift in order to create my intended impact.
There are certain things I’ve found that must be in my life in order to help me be as resourceful and productive as possible. Some of these include great selfcare doing somethings I LOVE every singleday getting and giving my “12 hugs”a day inat least and more on that soon focusing on mission engaging with people and being grateful forthe people things and circumstances in mylife. These help me and I offer them asa framework for you as well if one or all of them resonate.
Regardless of where you are on your path right now loving it hating it thinking about it planning it etc. if you can make it a point to do something every day that brings you joy and purpose from the inside out I’d say you’re headed in the right direction. Wouldn’t you? And what else? Wait for it wait for it yep you got it:Takingexcellent care of yourself is going to help things hum even more. I believe heart and soul that this is key. It’s all about sustaining yourself and setting yourself up to be the most productive awake and powerful instrument of change possible if that’s what you want. It’s about creating the path for you to step into what you want and to lead in a way that is real and joyful and productive.
I’mtalking about “personal sustainability” here. If you haven’t heard me discuss personal sustainability before it’s basically my defination and practice of “the art of integratingselfcare presence mindset mission authenticity andengagement withleadership to createreal and sustainable resultsin one’s life.” I believe it’s essential and it helps create effective leadership from the inside out which is what we want right? It’smore sustainable and enjoyableand the bottom line is that more can get done from this place. Good things happen.
What is fascinating to me is how much this gets taken for granted or put on the backburner.One can getso focused on numbers skills bottom lines and “leading” thathe/she can easily forget about themselves in the equation. I’m talking about your ability to make sure that your “inner game of leadership” has an optimal impact on your “outer game.” The most inspiring leadership the best results produced the best companies built are built best by leaders and teams wholead from the insideout.This means looking at your mindset your health/vitality/energy your presence and the way you engage your people. It’s all connected and allkey to being at the top of your game.
What Inotice about the art of personal sustainability is that aspeople get closer to it and embody it more it becomes part of who they are and moves into what I call the “nonnegotiable” territory in their lives. It becomes a part of them. The path is neverendingand the ability to tap into their own form of personal sustainability is priceless and continuously evolving. They find they’remore effective andproductive in leadershipwhen they engage here in whatever way that means for them.They have a clearer resource state. They have more energy. It’s just a more joyful place to come from. Most see it. Some don’t. And what’s ironic is that even those who are “in” it and don’t see the impact personal sustainability or the lack of it has on them and their leadershipthe people closest to them do. The people they live with and lead. They see it. They feel it. They’re impacted by it. So how great that we can make our impact better more expansive and more engaged and feel better internally by doing a bit on the inner game and working our own personal sustainability.
Did you know that the first Chicken Soup for the Soul book had 144 rejections from publishers before someone said “YES”? 144 rejections. Think about that.What would you do with 144 “no’s”? What would you do with 10? Who did he have to “be” and what did he have to “believe” to keep moving? What do you suppose his “mindset” was? What was his vision? Years ago Ipersonally witnessed individuals who’d been told they “absolutely could not do it no way no how” for physical reasons cross theIronMan Triathlon finish line in Kona.That scene has stuck in my mind heartand body for years. What I know is that when we create positive intentions hold productive beliefs focus on mission and vision andkeep moving into it we get there. It may not look exactly as we thought it would but if we want it enough we get there. That persistenceis a gift.
These stories also make me think about howdifferent things would be if these people had givenup at 1 2 or even 5 “no’s”. How would their lives be different? What would the world have missed out on? What impact would have been lost?I’m not telling you to go out and do an IronMan or work against your physical abilitiesI do want to remind you of the power of the mind and perseverance and what’s possible when we believeand act and WANT.
Inquiry for you:How many times do you have to hear “NO” before you give up or walk away from something? Personally I used to hatehearing “no.”Truth be told I stilldon’t really love it AND I havedeveloped a new appreciation for it. For sure there’ve been times when even one or two no’s have sent me to a place of doubt reflection and dare I say even giving up. What I’ve learned though is that being told no isn’t what’s “bad” what’s bad about it is the story we make up about it. Our own selftorturing internal mind chatter. That is where the NO hurts the most. Of course it’s disappointing and ofcourse being told no isn’t always ideal and if we can catch our mindset we canmove through it much more effectively and resiliently and then be in a better state for a creative “next.” In my experience “no”usually leads to something much better. A more thoughtful product relationship solution etc. What I have to be committed to for myself my clients and my business is being willing to hear that “no” and embrace it so that I either connect with the right yes or make my request more compelling.
So what’s your “relationship” with the word “no”? What does “no” bring up for you? Whenyoudo what you love take care of yourself and even embrace “no” youmove. If you want somethingbadly and believe in it with your whole heart you keep going. That “yes” may not be right here right now but you never know when you’re going to match up with the rightresounding YES. And you never know how much better that YES is going to be because of the original NO. Allies and championsare ALL around it’sthe mindset theattitude and our willingness tolean in toour own edges that help us find them.
Here’s to the power of your mind the power of the productive “no”to doing what you love andto creating in your life.
About the writer: Anese Cavanaugh founder of Dare To Engage is devoted to helping forward thinking business leaders become revered leaders in business and life while they build a more authentically engaged workforce retain top talent and support personal sustainability throughout their organizations. With degrees and credentials in the areas of kinesiology leadership development productivity coaching and wellness Anese brings a fresh perspective to experiential leadership training and fully engaged living celebrating and honoring the hero within each person. For more about Anese or the Dare To Engage Programs or to receive a complimentary report and audio on “Energy Results” go to www.DareToEngage.com
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