Stop surviving and start thriving

“When your output exceeds your input, then your upkeep will be your downfall”.  These are wise words that I heard many times early on in my career from a wise mentor that genuinely cared about my long-term success. The point is that we must have a way of refueling ourselves so that we are able to continue the journey of achieving results. I have found that those in leadership positions or anyone in healthcare, education, and service industries are the worst at adhering to this principle. The enormity of the work, long task lists, meetings upon meetings, and preparation for tomorrow, next week, and next year can cause you to be so busy that you may not be aware that you are not performing at your best. Through your acceptance of things as they are, you are ultimately choosing to accept that surviving is your way of life instead of thriving. Here are three ideas to make the shift this year.

Engage with challenging experts. 

One of the easiest ways to jump start change is to attend conferences. Having been a part of events around the globe, I’ve been surrounded by incredible innovators in the fields of mental health, behavior, learning strategies, research to practice, team leadership and motivation. It is through attending events like this that you get access to emerging ideas and strategies from leaders in the field that have not had time to get to print or online. It is always a boost to be on the front end of something new and something of value. This combination of information and inspiration will give you the energy to walk away ready to improve your work with emerging tools.

Surround yourself with like-minded colleagues. 

Hopefully, you work in a team-oriented environment. The unfortunate reality is that you may not have advocates surrounding you with encouragement and new ideas. Worse, you may have others around you that are waiting for you to slip up or are always challenging every move you make. Though you may not find a collaborator across the hall or the office next door, you can leverage technology and social media to make this connection somewhere else. In a collaborative digital community, there are always others who are willing to grow and improve alongside you. Take a risk and ask someone to share their idea you read online or ask if you can bounce an idea off of them to get their perspective. Connections create opportunities.

Change your location.  

I know in times of tight budgets, a trip to an exotic location is probably not going to happen, but a change of location doesn’t require a plane ticket. Instead of prepping for your next meeting, presentation, or call at your desk, pick somewhere different. Go outside or change rooms. Something that is outside the norm. This might just break the monotony of the day to day and allow you to see a new solution to a familiar problem.

When the day to day of your work gets the best of you, take the steps to take care of yourself and the results will follow. If you have other ideas that work for you, post below!