Self Discipline in the Time of Isolation
After 5 weeks in quarantine we’ve seen more than our fair share of articles about how to work from home effectively, mental health balance and all the great things companies are doing in the absence of core production. Now that we’ve adapted the aforementioned character tactics to the “new normal”, it’s time to master personal strategy.
It is important to understand that success is within our personal control (despite circumstances that may be out of our control). The beautiful thing about being human is that we have an adaptation gene that helps us learn new tactics to old tricks on a consistent basis. There will be good days and bad and occasionally we will figure out a new way to replicate success.
Our initial reaction to change is often resistance: we’ll look for people to blame and sources to validate opinions that work in our favor. When we stop looking for a scapegoat, we start developing a strategy to overcome the hurdles thrust before us.
Here are five practices you can incorporate right now:
- Reflect — we tend to look back on the things we haven’t done well when accessing the past. There are regrets that hang us up, regrettable behaviors, dark times and lessons learned at our own expense. These mental retributions keep us up at night. We stare at the ceiling wishing we could have done things better while questioning if we’ll ever be able to perform at the level we once did.
Why not reflect on what you’ve done well? It could be as simple as a game you won as a kid, the first boy/girl you kissed or a great day you might have had with your mom or dad. Even if it is remembering something funny or hearing a great song from the past, anything to lift your spirit instead of beating yourself down is essential to formulating the right attitude.
I am reminded of a scenario: ask someone what you are doing wrong and you will receive a thousand pieces of advice. Ask people for help and you’ll likely see tumbleweeds before you do a helping hand. There are so many who are willing to beat you down, don’t join them.
There is a Shimmer in the Pond from the Sky
2. Dismantle-I’m not one for complaining. We need to assess the situation at hand and find the best strategy for progress. That said, there is a difference between complaining and questioning. Just because someone has more tenure in an occupation does not give them authority over you. Your boss is not inherently smarter than you. You can have a respect for authority without surrendering to process. Finding your own direction is important.
With every directive given you, question the relevance to your genuine mission for success. Is this a task or a tool for development? How can I make the most of each directive given me?
In life there are the “have to do’s” and the “want to do’s”. The “have to do’s” are tasks based in efficiency that are necessary to streamline process (reports, system population, task completion). I suggest making task completion a priority, not to emphasize order taking, but to get done what you have to do so you can get on to what you want to do. It is far better to check boxes as quickly as possible so needless tasks don’t envelope your motivation. The longer you ignore the “have to do’s” the more unnecessary stress you bring upon yourself. Everyone who has succeeded was on the shit list at one point for ignoring their TPS reports.
To Question is Human
3. Compose-we are now faced with the challenge of maintaining individuality while finding a place in the system. How can we engage our personal passion while developing a productive professional strategy? The synchronicity of that which excites us and that which is professionally challenging creates total engagement. If we can achieve this, work can be blissful.
I wouldn’t encourage you to leave your salaried corporate job to work on a fishing boat in Alaska (unless that genuinely engages your passion). But there are those who feel you either participate in the rat race (and sell your soul) or live free. I’ve found that you can love punk rock and still be an accountant.
The key is to navigate your professional success under your terms. You don’t have to oppose direction, derail meetings or even tell anyone about your career mission. All you have to do is inventory the day and measure your actions against your personal development. You’ll have to cross the “have to do’s” off the task list, the rest of your work should fulfill your need for personal development.
You can Tune In and Turn On without Dropping Out
4. Unzip Your Soul — People may be the most annoying element of our day but we cannot succeed without them. I am in equal parts suspect and in admiration of people who are uncompromisingly positive. People will fail and impress and disappoint. When you get to the point where you are able to stay focused on your personal development (despite the short comings of others) you have truly found the path to success.
With so much out of our control the one thing we can control is our reaction to others. People become defensive in times of embarrassment. This defensiveness comes with acts of desperation and uncharacteristic outbursts. We are called upon to ask more of ourselves while allowing others to fail. We must be humble in victory and accountable in defeat.
Exercise Empathy
5. Don’t Forget to Remember — My friend Matt once told me that we can never go back while others have advised that we may be through with the past but the past isn’t through with us. So I started a blog nearly 15 years ago to ponder the aforementioned conundrum. The title a dumb play on words that continues to evolve in some surprising ways.
Adaptation is really important. Those who fail to evolve usually reveal themselves to have been characterized with skills they never possessed. Every day we are called upon to shape shift our ability, mindset and the application of our greatness.
Re-Create.. Every.. Day
The greatest question at the moment exists in the notion that there may be something to learn (and apply to the longer term) from being in isolation. When we are allowed to return back to the world, will we go back to the ways of yore or learn from the process and apply the advantages learned?
You may be overwhelmed by social media, news channels, and those who have not chosen to sacrifice their lifestyle for the betterment of others…. but that danger has always existed.
Reflect on what has gone well
Challenge structure
Maintain your individually within the collective
Give people a chance
Be able to recreate yourself
Thanks for reading….
Dave
