A spectacular job title and matching salary may soften the blow but in a world where everything is relative, senior leaders suffer Monday morning blues like anyone else.
It’s not uncommon to fall asleep Sunday night having mentally pre-programmed the following day to be one of caffeinated drudgery and brute force no matter what our role, but the good news is, it’s easy to turn this around.
We simply need a mindset REFRESH – a recalibration of the thoughts, beliefs and attitudes that we connect to ‘going to work’.
Here are 5 tips for transforming your dread into energised and positive anticipation.
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Acknowledge the good stuff
One of the most powerful tools we have to play with is gratitude. It’s so easy to get lost in the grey clouds of our challenges, that we can lose track of what is actually quite awesome.
Take a moment Sunday night to think about all the wonderful elements of your work life. Notice the shift in your energy as you take your head to that more positive place. You’ll wake with upgraded software. -
Have intention: envision, enable, enact
Without a clear view of what we want our week to look and feel like, it will simply happen to us. Being a powerless ride-along is not something any of us ever intended to allow.
Instead, try this: Become the director of your own movie and begin to see your week, as you want it to be, clearly and in detail. If you can imagine it, it can become real. Enact your vision, let new behaviour match your fresh thinking. Step into the new week as the new you. -
Ramp up your fun-factor
It’s easy to become serious and almost mechanical when our work and home life is so hectic. The light and easy side to us is the first to go, so let’s revitalise it.
Start by giving yourself permission to have fun even though you’re busy. Each morning when you wake up commit to ‘having fun today’. Mindfully leave the more serious you behind as you walk into work. Research shows that we perform at our best when relaxed, confident and at ease.
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Manage your mindset
Have you noticed that the way your day turns out tends to fall in line with your thoughts, attitudes and beliefs on that day? If you dread going to work in the morning it’ll probably feel like a long, heavy day. If you envision a day of fun and high energy, that notion stands a good chance of fulfilling itself.
Author Mike Dooley is quoted as saying “Thoughts become things, so choose the good ones!”
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Think balance
Our happiness comes from within – we know this. Being at ease with ourselves, loving others and exercising purpose and passions is what drives a fulfilling life, much more so than money.
If work begins to feel like drudgery, the big picture ingredients of your life may have moved out of whack. Try rethinking priorities to make sure that your non-working hours are helping you thrive on the job.
