Are you tired of struggling yet? Try thriving instead!
Recently, I’ve discovered that if I’m not challenged - I struggle. I get bored; I develop a sense of staleness and slowness. I can almost feel my energy draining from every pore on my skin. I procrastinate, dragging my feet till the clock says, “You can go home now.”
Have you ever found yourself moving the calendar reminders from Monday to Tuesday, and before you know it, it’s Friday, and you’re still done with that task? Or, instead of running necessary errands or finishing a project at home, you find yourself binge-watching something that doesn’t interest you in the first place. Yeah, I get it; I’ve been there before (and sometimes, I’m still guilty of returning to the old habits).
I don’t know about you, but I wouldn’t say I like that feeling. I like action; I love to be surrounded by people and be amidst brainstorming sessions to discover the solution to the problem the organization's current problem. This is my thing. This is when I know I thrive.
It wasn’t always like that. I used to be uncomfortable when people asked me to participate in a brainstorming session or when they asked about my opinion. I was paralyzed when every person in the room turned to have a better view of me as I melted in my seat from embarrassment. It wasn’t until I was told by my mentor that I needed to be OK with experiencing some discomfort to grow. But I knew my issue wasn’t just the unwillingness to experience some discomfort. It was the lack of self-confidence that I had something to share with the world that others wanted to hear.
When I first discovered my passion for problem-solving and recognized the ability (I always had but chose to ignore) for being able to listen to the needs, summarize the needs back to the customer or a team member and then provide a handful of options, I started to feel more confident, supported. I finally felt like I was part of a team. I learned to ask questions and offered my support, so I didn’t get bored anymore. But that came with the self-realization that asking for more work doesn’t mean I can’t organize my day or find more work to do - one of the limiting beliefs that kept me from exploring and running experiments to do and learn more.
If I want to thrive in the workplace and my personal life, I need to be OK with the discomfort that new situation creates. Without getting out of my comfort zone, it’s hard to make the life I love.
You know better than anyone what keeps you away from thriving. You can set a timer for 10 mins and write what comes to your mind, and include every reason that keeps you away from achieving the goals to move you closer to thriving, focusing on the long-term goal instead the short-term results.
In which area of your life are you currently struggling? Are you setting impossible expectations right now? How can you challenge yourself a little more? And how would you approach your journey differently if you came from a place of thriving instead of struggling?
