It is certainly true that we need to be flexible enough to accommodate other working styles and to communicate with people different to us. Yet we do have a responsibility to ourselves to honour what we believe is really important - our true agenda. Blaming other people is a way of ignoring this responsibility.
If this true agenda gets hidden away, we can be very busy without being consciously aware of what has happened. Instead we might feel vague uneasiness, tension or dissatisfaction without knowing why.
On the other hand, if we are aware that our true agenda is on hold, we tell ourselves that we will return to it when we have finished everything else. This approach does not work because we never completely finish 'everything else'.
Balance is critical here, just as it is critical in the natural world. Our physical body moves by dynamic balance: tension in some muscles alternating with relaxation in others. We need a certain balance of sugar in the blood to function but too much sugar will kill us. More broadly, balance is essential in how we spend our finite personal resources: our time and energy (and money) are not unlimited.
This is where we need to be careful about what commitments we make. Commitment is what makes the difference between intention and action. It transforms the mental activity of creation into living reality. Yet committing to one thing inevitably excludes others, so it is wise to choose carefully. How often do you say 'No'?
Here's a practical strategy to apply these principles:
1. Create a list of what you think is really important. This can be single words or phrases, general or specific. Spend as much time as you need to create a list that covers all that is important. Here are some other questions that may help you:
What do you care about? What do you really want? What makes life worth living?
What makes you frustrated or angry? What is it you can't live with? What principles are being violated?
When you have finished, keep your list in a safe place. This is the essence of your true agenda.
2. Against each item on the list put a value between 1 and 10 to indicate how much you currently honour it with your own resources (time, energy, money)
3. Review the list, particularly noting the items with the lower scores. Choose one item (or more if you like) where you want to increase your resources spent on it. What do you want to achieve by doing this?
4. Make a commitment to balance this increase in resources (time, energy, money) by trimming a less important area (preferably one that is not on your list at all!). Give this commitment a time frame and a review date so you can check the balance again then.
You can return to your list anytime you like and repeat steps 3 and 4.
As you regain your true agenda, watch what happens to your motivation.
Copyright (c) 2008 Trevor Hill
Well, believe it or not, this happens to everyone at some point or another. Even with the most rewarding careers, life can start to get boring and hum drum after time.
So how does a person obtain and maintain motivation at work? Set your goals to get specific jobs and projects done at your workplace. Give yourself deadlines to meet these goals. Sometimes a project is so overwhelming that it is hard to get motivated to do it.
The bottom line is, if you value your job, you need to set standards and goals to get your responsibilities completed. Also, a positive attitude is extremely important. It spreads to the other co-workers, too.
As a manager, your responsibility is to get specific jobs done through the employees. So the same goes as with the employee. Setting goals is the first step to motivating yourself and your staff.
Another issue is rules, regulations and policies. We have to have some rules and guidelines to follow, however, sometimes we have too many rules and some do not even make sense to us. It is a good idea to put into place only rules and policies that are a necessity for the good of the cause.
Make the rules published so that the employees can see and know them. Explain to them and educate them on why the rule has to be followed. It just makes sense to teach them instead of trying to force them into following the rules.
Have discussions on policies and rules with the staff. Be open minded to any feedback they might have as well. Listen to ideas of the employees. Basically, be a team with them, and not above them.
Reward your employees for a job well done. They have put their time and effort into a particular project and they deserve a reward. Rewards are motivation for us. It could be a monetary bonus, a raise, a promotion, a small gift, or even words of affirmation. But they do need to hear that they have done well.
As a manager, it is important to be a part of the staff. If you are shorthanded, step up to the plate and help out. Don't let them think that you are above their job.
Digging in there and helping will earn allot of respect from your employees. It will motivate them to do a better job because you are in there with them. They will take pride in what they do.
Both Trevor Hill & Peter Murphy are contributors for EditorialToday. The above articles have been edited for relevancy and timeliness. All write-ups, reviews, tips and guides published by EditorialToday.com and its partners or affiliates are for informational purposes only. They should not be used for any legal or any other type of advice. We do not endorse any author, contributor, writer or article posted by our team.
Trevor Hill has sinced written about articles on various topics from self improvement and motivation, Elearning and self improvement and motivation. Trevor Hill works with people who want more energy, focus and satisfaction in their working lives. As a qualified coach, he draws on 30 years of working experience across a wide range of organisations and sectors. Trevor publishes free inspiration tips e. Trevor Hill's top article generates over 201000 views. to your Favourites.
Peter Murphy has sinced written about articles on various topics from Modelling, Marketing and Web Development. Peter Murphy is a peak performance expert. He recently produced a very popular free report that reveals how to crush procrastination and sustain lasting motivation. Apply now because it is available for a limited time only at:. Peter Murphy's top article generates over 90500 views. to your Favourites.