How to End a Dry Season at Work

Just popping in this morning to tell you that you do not need another win.

I remember a session when a client told me she really needed a win at work.

She was frustrated and feeling down on herself.

 
She felt she'd had minimal success in her role the past few months.

We've all felt that way. That's not the problem.

The problem is thinking a win will fix things.

When we're addicted to the dopamine hits that work wins give us, it's no wonder we want to feel we're successful every dang day.

The way to manage a dry season at work is to shift your obsession with wins and completing things over to a focus on the various attempts you're making.

Read that previous sentence again.

I literally want you to get a dopamine hit from trying new ways to tackle your work problems.

Instead of focusing all your energy on getting a win at work today, I challenge you simply to try. 

Make a concerted effort to chip away at the problem ahead of you without obsessing over the outcome.

Work loses its fun when we put unfair expectations on ourselves.

Here's the deal: You cannot get any wins without some tries.

Trying looks like...

• Taking a bit of a risk

• Speaking up

• Inviting a colleague to collaborate with you

• Focusing on consistent efforts and strategies instead of outcomes

• Mustering up some courage to take action that makes you uncomfortable

These behaviors increase the likelihood of achieving the win you long for. (But the wins will become less addictive when you focus your attention on the joy of learning while attempting those wins.)

The more tries you make, the more you're going to learn...and maybe even win!

The bottom line?

If you're sitting around beating yourself up for a lack of wins at work, you're wasting a lot of emotional energy and time that could be focused on trying.

Get out there and try something new today!