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RENEWAL
GETTING UNCOMFORTABLE:
7 WAYS TO RECLAIM OUR HEARTS AND MINDS
By Tom Terez
Comfort is a good thing, right? Well, yes and no.
A comfortable bed? Very important. A comfortable pair of shoes? Required. A comfortable
bicycle seat? Essential.
But what about a comfortable job? Or a comfortable workplace? Or a comfortable workday
routine? Is there anything wrong with having our own little comfort zone at work?
You bet there is.
When it comes to personal fulfillment, nothing can be more constricting than our
own self-created comfort zone. Why? Because the chronic quest to make things easy
has a dulling effect.
It diminishes our thoughts and feelings. It dampens our imagination. It replaces
our sense of mission with a series of mindless tasks. It makes us more mechanical
and less human.
Yes, it's that serious. But there are steps we can take right now to reclaim the
best of ourselves.
1. If you're in the habit of starting each day by reading the newspaper or tuning
in to TV or radio news, exercise caution. We often let the media do our thinking
for us -- and the thinking they do can be all too negative. Think about it. Will
your day be enhanced if you know that a raging fire has killed 40 people in a far-away
factory? Will you be at your best if you learn that an alleged terrorist has been
apprehended trying to buy a shoulder-launched missile? I'm not proposing that you
stay away from all media all the time. Rather, be your own best editor, choosing
radio stations and news stories that accentuate the positive.
2. Before getting busy with work, write a list of all your planned activities for
the day. Then step back and look at the list with a clean perspective. Pinpoint one
activity that adds little or no value, and strike it from the list. That's right,
figure out what you are NOT going to do. Whatever happens as the day unfolds, avoid
doing that value-less activity.
3. Now that you have some available time, use it to do something completely different.
The key word here is "completely." Perhaps you can make that first-ever
visit with people in another department. Or you can ask that quiet, cubicle-cloistered
co-worker to help you with a project. Or you can spend time learning more about other
organizations in your field. The possibilities are endless. Some of these new activities
will fall flat, but many will inform and inspire in surprising ways.
4. Make a point of changing your environment, even if the change is brief. If you
spend your workdays indoors, take a daily walk outside. If you're around machines
or equipment all the time, try getting closer to nature -- again, even if it's just
for 15 minutes. If you tend to work alone, go to a place where you can mingle with
others. You might be able to do this during the workday, depending on your break
schedule. If not, make it happen before or after work.
5. Once and for all, take action on that one thing you've been putting off for ages.
You know what it is -- the target of all your procrastination. Identify it, write
it down, and get it going before the sun sets. Maybe you've been permanently postponing
a difficult conversation. So pick up the phone and get it started. Perhaps you've
delayed starting an extremely challenging project. Take the first step or two right
now. Nothing saps energy like an important task left undone. The only solution is
to generate forward momentum.
6. Learn something about something you know nothing about. Listen, I know you're
plenty smart. After years on planet Earth, your brain is brimming with everything
from Grandma's cookie recipe to an encyclopedic knowledge of sports statistics to
a deep understanding of your job. You've been working with your know-how for years.
That may be why we recycle the same thoughts, ideas, and beliefs day after day --
and often get the same results. So add something entirely new to your mental treasure.
Perhaps you saw a few minutes of an interesting documentary on climate systems. Why
not get a book about it and learn more? Let's say you and your colleagues are working
to increase creativity in the workplace. Great -- learn everything you can about
Thomas Edison and his great invention factory, Menlo Park. As long as you have an
Internet connection and a nearby library, you have full access to a universe of new
knowledge.
7. Write your own mission statement. I know, I know, you heard this from Stephen
Covey, author of "7 Habits of Highly Effective People," way back in 1989.
And you may have been through an excruciating mission-writing exercise at work, in
which people fought over semicolons and dangling modifiers as you rolled your eyes.
Forget all that and ask yourself: What is your overarching purpose? What is the noble
aim that inspires and engages you as the day unfolds? We're not looking for a job
description or a list of work activities. We're thinking far beyond that. What gives
meaning to your work? To your life? Yes, these are big questions. It's up to you
to provide big answers.
The choice is yours: You can stay in your comfort zone, where life is nice and easy,
though a bit repetitious. Or you can do the work of fully renewing your heart and
mind.
The clock is ticking. Are you ready to begin?
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Tom Terez is the founder of InnerBest.com, BetterWorkplaceNow.com,
and TomTerez.com. His talks and workshops are all about helping individuals
and organizations achieve their very best. Click here to send Tom a note.
Copyright 2006 Tom Terez. |
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