In some way, shape, or form…we are all leaders.
Author, Frederick Arnander reminds us that “Leadership is not a position, it’s a mindset.”
Whether you’re powerfully leading family, friends and/or work projects, if you don’t have a highly-focused mindset, leading others can take its toll on the best of us.
Add in a dose of deadlines, never-ending demands, and the desire to live life itself, we get overwhelmed and often fall fast because it’s a lot to keep all the balls afloat.
Exhaustion and burnout rates continue to remain high among leaders and the fact is it’s hard to maintain the drive and inspiration when you’re out of steam and running on fumes.
“Work-life balance” is frequently thrown around as the “magic solution” to solving this problem, but incorporating “life” and staying “motivated” is often easier said than done.
A revealing question I often ask my clients to assess how they feel about leadership is…“Are you still loving it or are you ready to leave it?”
If there is a longer-than-usual pause, I know it may be time for a deeper conversation because it’s likely things are off-balance and the scale is tipping towards the “leave-it” side (which may or may not be the best long-term solution for all involved).
When we’re off-balance, we feel flat and demotivated…and this ultimately takes away from the goal to positively serve, inspire and lead others.
I believe, having the ability to lift, shift and elevate your energy is the key to recharging and restoring the connection to staying motivated.
Arianna Huffington says it best…
“ ‘Restore connection’ is not just for devices, it is for people too. If we cannot disconnect, we cannot lead.”
As the world around us continues to get faster, noisier, and busier than ever, it becomes even more important to slow down so we can refuel and power up with intention.
Sometimes there doesn’t seem to be enough time to slow down – but that is when we really need to prioritize, double-down and plan intentional time to rest and recalibrate.
Personally, whenever I feel like I have lost my way on this great journey of life – I reach for one of my favorite books – the Power of Now by Eckhart Tolle.
In his book, Eckhart reminds us to…
“Realize deeply that the present moment is all you ever have. Make the Now the primary focus of your life.”
I hope you pause long enough to take his advice!