It’s time to get your mojo back! Most of us have spent this year engaging. Whether we have thrown ourselves into work as an essential worker, been adjusting to working remotely, focused on helping our children with distance learning, dedicated ourselves to a social justice cause or political candidate, or had to make other major changes, we are all engaging in some way. And it’s time that we engage with ourselves in a more positive way. We need to re-engage our best selves.
How do we even get to the point that we aren’t engaged with our best self? It can happen quite easy actually!
Don’t quit just because it’s easier to do so. Some things may bring us temporary happiness, but we struggle to find that long, enduring happiness. There is a new culture in the workplace. People used to spend their whole careers in the same field or even at the same company. Now, more often than not, we hear about people jumping ship after only a few months or no more than a couple of years. The supposed “honeymoon phase” of a new job or a new relationship eventually wears off. Instead of trying to change how we deal with challenging coworkers, less than ideal tasks, or whatever may be causing our unhappiness, people choose to quit. Sometimes we need to refocus or redirect what we are doing and give things a fairer shot before simply quitting.
Don’t let one piece ruin the whole puzzle. The constant news cycle and addiction to social media can truly alter our mental state and affect our happiness. It is easy to focus on bad news or how other people are progressing and forget to engage with our own successes and happiness. Even within one day, we usually have high points and low points. To engage our best self, we need to focus on the high points as much as possible. Don’t focus on the challenging co-worker, the less than ideal errand, the family member who causes a fight. Instead, focus on your work wins, your productivity, and your positive relationships and interactions with others.
Focus on your own attitude. It is impossible to control what other people think or feel or say. The only things we can control are our responses to external stimuli. Just because a co-worker isn’t happy at work, doesn’t mean it needs to bring you down. Just because your partner is struggling with something, doesn’t mean it has to make your relationship less than the best. One way to engage with our best self is to be sure we are having a positive attitude. While it isn’t always easy, sometimes we need to just ignore how other people feel about things. Our own thoughts, feelings, and opinions matter most. Try your best to not let those of others creep in and disengage you from your best self!
Passion is important. One way to ensure we are engaging with our best selves is to be sure we are partaking in activities, jobs, and relationships we are passionate about. It is nearly impossible to do our best on things that bring us dread, boredom, or sadness. Occasionally, we will be in situations that we simply HAVE to do even if we are not passionate about them. I know plenty of people are not passionate about overseeing their children’s e-learning journeys. Also, many people are not a huge fan of working remotely, or are anxious about being back at work already in the pandemic. It is important to truly focus on those areas of our lives that we are passionate about. Making those parts of our lives as big of a part of it as possible will help us re-engage with our best selves and be happier overall.
Here are some tips to help you get your mojo back each day:
Get more sleep – It’s hard to be the best version of ourselves when we are tired. To remain upbeat and happy, which helps us focus on the positive aspects of our days, we need to be well rested. It is so easy to be cranky and unengaged when we are tired.
Get moving – A fantastic way to reset ourselves both physically and mentally is to take a quick walk. Even a short time outside or on the treadmill/rower (as we approach winter in some parts of the world) can help us re-engage with our best selves.
Eat healthy – Fueling our bodies is important. It is nearly impossible to feel good at work, socially, romantically, or anything else if we don’t feel good physically. Part of taking care of our physical bodies includes eating the right foods.
Unplug – Try to schedule certain times to get on social media so it isn’t ruling your life. Comparing yourself to others and doing a deep dive on Instagram, Facebook, or Twitter will not be engaging with yourself in a positive way.
Engaging with your best self is a huge gift you can give yourself. And guess what? You deserve it! Be sure to make it a priority. Maybe even make it a New Year’s Resolution as we approach that time of year. Check in with yourself and figure out where you are not your best self, and figure out how you can make positive changes in those areas to get your mojo back!!
