DO YOU HAVE A WORK-MINDSET?

I'm not in the mood.

I think we have all been there. We wake up and we just don't feel like doing it today. There's a million other things that we would prefer to do instead of working. But, we have to show up. The thing is, we show up physically, but we are not really paying attention and emotionally we are resisting every hour of the day.

Some ask me if they are burned out when they feel that way, and they could be. However, it's also the reality that we are just not in the same mood every single day and the image of the high achiever and peak performer who is always "on" and highly motivated is a bit of a myth. Or a person who's living on coffee and driven by adrenaline like I used to be.

USE YOUR MIND WITH CARE

When we are constantly on we are not necessarily engaged in a way that makes a difference to our work. Instead, our mind might be on the hamster-wheel of the inner dialog that's busy picking our work apart, doubting every word, second guessing every action, and beating ourselves up instead of building ourselves up.

We might do the same with every conversation we have with someone else. The inner critic tends to become the outer critic too. Meaning we listen with criticism instead of curiosity, we look for the problems instead of the possibilities.

The thing is, we don't just wake up motivated.

WHAT DO YOU NEED?

It's easy to get stuck in the "I don't feel like it" mindset when every day can feel more like another battle to fight, another conflict to solve, or another strained relationship to navigate rather than work being a place where we use our best skills and do our best work solving problems that matter.

So when you wake up, pause to take a moment to notice how you feel. Maybe you feel stuck thinking there's something better for you out there.  Maybe you feel that your manager could use you better. Maybe you feel bored because you are not growing. Maybe you feel lack of confidence. Maybe you are worried because there are so many changes and you don't really know what's expected of you. Maybe you are not sure if you will still have a job next week, or maybe you are not sure that you are going to connect, communicate and collaborate well with the new manager that's coming on board.

So when I ask if you have a work-mindset, what I'm asking is if you feel that work is a daily chore or a daily possibility? Do you feel you are just going through the motions or that you are using your mind to solve problems (we are all problem solvers)? Do you feel that you are just running on automatic and doing what you have always done, the work-mindset of "I don't care anymore, I'm just doing what I'm told" or the work-mindset that says, "dang this is challenging me to think"?

Let's face it, we have a lot to worry about every single day, and it drains our energy and attention. It wears out our care muscle, and it can make our work mindset one of dread.

It's ok not to be in the mood, and when we acknowledge that, it's easier to change our mind so that it works better for us because we can only change what we are aware of and that's why Power-Pausing matters. It's a way to reclaim agency over your attention.

WHAT WE WORRY ABOUT IS ALSO WHAT WE CARE ABOUT.

To reset our attention we first need to know what's distracting us. However, to get unstuck we need to align our focus with what we care about and are working towards achieving.

You can do it anytime. Even in the bathroom instead of texting. Maybe before that next meeting. Maybe to get past the dread of that thing on your to-do list that you keep pushing out. Or maybe to engage in that conversation that you are avoiding. I could probably keep listing things that you are not in the mood for right now, and yet, we also both know that if it matters, you will keep worrying about it.

So maybe you are not in the mood, but your mood isn't going to change until you shift your perspective and reconnect with why you care, which is how you empower yourself to show up, again and again and again, because at the end of the day, it's what we care about that drives us, isn't it?