3 Steps to Face Daily Challenges with Fresh Enthusiasm
Rituals bring control in the storm. The storm won’t change, but how you respond does.
During a recent coaching call, a client relayed a ritual he uses before showing up at work.
How to face daily challenges with Fresh Enthusiasm:
#1. Pour fuel in your tank.
Listen to a podcast or audio book. Focus on something other than the challenges of the day.
A wandering mind sinks into dark places.
#2. Choose how you show up.
You might choose a can-do attitude, or you could schedule a gratitude walkabout first thing.
If you don’t choose how you show up, someone else will, and it won’t be pretty.
Problems control your mind if you don’t get a grip on how you show up.
Choose ‘what to do’ and ‘how to be’. The difference concerns doing and being.
Choosing ‘what to do’ is helpful to face pressing challenges. For example, show up to show gratitude or to bring up a nagging issue.
Choosing ‘who to be’ is a long-term approach. You might show up as coach, for example. Imagine the best coach you ever had. How might you emulate their behavior and attitude during the day?
I often show up like a grandfather. The people I work with aren’t my grandchildren, but the attitude of a grandfather expresses itself as positivity, playfulness, and a growth mindset. My inner grandfather is more optimistic than the inner curmudgeon that lurks in the shadows.
#3. Rock out.
Pump yourself up with music. Walk into work with a spring in your step.
Enthusiasm takes you further than catastrophizing.
This 3-step approach won’t eliminate daily challenges, but it will change how you face challenges.
Challenge: Choose a morning ritual that sets the tone for your day.
What practices and rituals strengthen leaders to face the daily challenges of leadership with optimism?
Dan,
For me we are fortunate to have younger people coming on board and seeing their desire to learn with a burning desire fires me up. remembering the younger days lifts me up, as you know we tend to slow down a few steps as the years progress. My rituals stay the same, Cleansing first, dressing in daily garb, healthy breakfast, kiss the wife on way out the door, and arrive at work with what needs done? How are we going to do things today?, Making the customer our number 1 priority, after all without them we have no Business. Granted if I need to change my shoes always willing and able. 🙂
Your #2 “grandfather” recalls something I do in a similar way, but I call it “position as Yoda” 🙂 …because nearly every young warrior finds himself dispirited by the swamp.
Thanks so much Dan! “Choose how you show up” really resonates with me. I am avowedly not a “morning person” and am an introvert, and still I know that I am in charge of how I start my day. How I choose to walk into my building sets the tone, not only for getting started, but for the whole day – and for everyone I see in that first 15 minutes. When I was a young HS teacher, I just figured my first period class would have to deal with my grumpiness and I’d be fine by second or third period— and I wasn’t, and they weren’t either. We were all grumpy together, and I rarely got much better as the day went on. I realized it was not fair to my students to not bring my best.to them – to ALL of them regardless of the time of day! I established some important “rituals” to help me transition my energies to be 100% ready for them when they walked in the door, and first period ended up being a great way to start my day and the environment was definitely better for all of us. And it made a huge impact on my outlook and energy for the whole day. I am still not a fan of early mornings or of talking to people as soon as I hit the door ;), but I also know how to CHOOSE to make it a great day! Thanks for this great reminder.
I love “Rock out”! Many songs have so much deep meaning to me and are able to carry me through demanding and trying times. When I played on an undefeated Champion Football Team, I used “Green Grass and High Tides” by the Outlaws to jazz me up for each game. Today, over 40 years ago, the song still does that and prepares me for things I have to accomplish. “Rock out always”!
Who’d have thunk? My ritual of reading Leadership Freak + openness to new ideas = listening to “Green Grass and High Tides” for the first time. Thanks!
My goal is to show up in a way that others’ need me to be – positive and approachable. But at times I don’t feel very positive or approachable. I have found when I act the way I wish I felt, regardless of how I really feel, positive feelings follow the positive action, quickly replacing the grumpiness and negativity of the moment. Putting my best self forward so often triggers a positive change of attitude and perspective in me.
Love the ‘grandfather attitude”. Grandparents are always excited to see the “grandchildren”! Grandchildren respond to that excitement!