While it’s true what I told you on Wednesday – about how half the battle boils down to just showing up – that doesn’t mean that once you’re present you can go on autopilot and cruise throughout the day. What distinguishes the ho-hum from the woo-hoo, high-performing crowd is how these individuals spend their time once they show up.
Do you make the most of it?
Or, while physically present, are you mentally and emotionally still under the covers in bed?
According to Gallup, most should have just stayed in bed! Their surveys on engagement found half of us are “not engaged.” While not as bad as the “actively disengaged” (AKA, the “bad apples” of the workforce), it’s still not good to just be cruising through the work day, performing masterful feats like staring at the clock for most of four hours until lunch rolls around or downloading everything BUT the PDFs you should access to stay ahead of the curve.
Speaking of curve, most of us fall into that vast middle on the bell curve, and that’s fine if you’re OK with just being “OK.” I know it sounds harsh, but I call this median the “cesspool of mediocrity.” When you fall into this category, you’re getting by, yes, but you’re doing just enough to do so. And there could be (and probably is) so much more to do.
The challenge is that it REALLY takes work to move from the vast expanse that shows up to the mere few that make a difference.
Look at what you’re up against!
The bell curve vividly demonstrates the effort and energy required to go from “meh” to “marvelous” – you are fighting gravity to surmount the curve and land on the “right side” with the innovators, the drivers of growth – not simply the quota-fillers and report producers in the middle.
Think of it this way: In that big space filled with the “average” we’ve got the people reading People on the treadmill. How do you suppose that workout is working out for them? On the right side, we’ve got the people consistently logging the miles, pulling the speed workouts, climbing the hills. Getting better and getting stronger.
It ain’t easy, but if success was easy everyone would do it.
So just how do we gain traction and get over that big steep hill – be it out on an actual hilly course or the incline that represents our boredom and comfort with the mundane performance that has become our everyday work life?
Here are three tips that have helped me not only get out the door but really get results:
- You + tools that inspire you = greatness. For me, that tool is music. When I need a boost of motivation (be it for a work out, or a big work meeting), I make my tunes as much a part of my uniform as my running shoes or fav stilettos, and I’m ready to kill it!
- Connect. OK, so you’ve got the tech tools to help inspire you to shed a few pounds or launch a new initiative at work. Enlist a workout buddy or, in the case of the workplace, get out and network. Find (or re-find) an individual who inspires you, and helps you bump it into high gear.
- Mix it up! Try a new workout. Throw in pilates or a circuit workout with your regular runs or strength training routine. In the world of work, this “change of pace,” may boil down to attending a new conference or volunteering for a new project outside your typical scope at work. All it may take is a switcheroo of the routine to reignite your work or workout passions again.
Take it from my experience: Not only will these tricks of the mind get you out the door, but you’ll sprint NOT shuffle your way through the day.
Make the most of wherever your destination may be, and good things will inevitably happen.
