How Are You Feeling?
David Freund, Chief Leadership Officer
How are you feeling as the summer rolls along? I hope you have made time to enjoy some time off with family and friends. Seriously though, how are you feeling? I noticed something about myself over the last few weeks. I was feeling somewhat down. I just didn’t have much energy even though I had taken some time off. Something was missing, but I didn’t know what. As I spent time reflecting, I realized I wasn’t inspired. My energy just wasn’t there, and the root cause was a lack of learning and growth, and I knew I had to make a shift. Let’s take a look at how learning and growth can benefit us:
When we learn and grow, we get energized, and we feel better – According to a June 2021 article in Psychology Today, learning might actually be the key to happiness, not rewards. Think about this: in life, rewards are uncertain and, at times, rather scarce, yet learning and growth can be a daily occurrence. The best news about growth and the related happiness is that we are completely in the driver’s seat. We determine what we learn and when we learn it.
A growth mindset helps alleviate stress – When we have a growth mindset, we see challenges as growth opportunities, not as roadblocks that keep us from a reward. Today’s challenges become incubators for tomorrow’s opportunities. Because of our growth mindset, we move our thoughts away from a negative focus to one of opportunity. This also helps us move from a scarcity mindset to an abundance mindset. We realize that when faced with a challenge we can go through it, or we can grow through it.
Learning and growing build resilience – During the pandemic, I created a training called Leading in Challenging Times. One of my key points was to take a look at everything we have been through in the past. When we take the time to reflect on our experiences and the lessons we have learned, we soon realize that we have been through significant challenges in the past. We become the proof that we can get through this as well. Learning and growth create options, and having options naturally makes us more resilient.
Learning and growth build self-esteem – As we learn and grow, our capabilities increase, and we can take on more challenging opportunities. As we interact with others who are just a bit further down life’s path, relationships form and they pour value into us. We, in turn, find others that we can pour into, and before long, we realize that we have moved from a success motive to a significance motive. Our impact on the lives of others is far more rewarding than something we consume upon ourselves, which may vanish quickly. Because we know that we are making a difference in the lives of others, healthy self-esteem increases.
The antidote for my lack of energy and general gloomy view of things wasn’t more time off. Don’t get me wrong, those days are very important, but I needed to reengage my brain and return to a growth mindset. I started working through a new coaching curriculum at Maxwell Leadership, became more serious about my reflections, and before long, I was back to a more positive and engaged mindset.
As you start to think about the Fall season, what will you be learning?