Photo by Joe deSousa on Unsplash
Can you relate to this scenario?
You wake up feeling fine, and within a short time, you receive an email or phone call that completely takes you down a rabbit hole, feels like a sucker punch, and immediately lowers your energy level.
In other words, external forces can unexpectedly sabotage your plans to enjoy a productive day at work or home.
Under typical circumstances, how can you keep your energy level up to make it through your day and not let unwelcomed and disagreeable influences change your energetic state and sabotage your time and efforts?
Here is a simple and powerful daily practice and tool that I teach my clients and apply in my business and personal life.
When you wake up, focus on three things you're grateful for.
If you want to pile on more than three, that's even better.
When you anchor on appreciating what is going well at this moment, regardless of anything else that's not going well personally or professionally, it immediately shifts you into a more positive zone and state of mind. You become response-able vs. reacting and potentially regretting your behavior later.
Proactively self-managing your inner state is one pathway to experiencing more peace while taking care of your work and personal responsibilities and making progress on your goals. This approach enables you to influence the outcomes you're looking for, rather than tarnish your personal brand--what people say about you when you leave the room.
You can use the appreciation tool anytime during your day, especially in the scenarios described above when facing challenging situations, a team conflict, a disgruntled employee or customer, and even a difficult manager, colleague, or partner that day.
Ultimately, you'll feel more grounded and make yourself happier as you choose what to say and do and behave in alignment with your highest Self and the outcomes you desire.
This tool helps you balance out the negative energy that has suddenly come into your life or lingering in the background. When you use it, the reward is that you can transform a potential disaster into a non-event.
Walk the Talk
The following anecdote is my "go-to" example about self-managing your state to prevent an external event from derailing you and those surrounding you by association.
In 2019, I was on my way to Punta Cana, Dominican Republic, to celebrate my 50th birthday with 22 family members and friends. We arrived at the airport around 5:30 AM.
As I was scanning the passports, I was shocked to learn that my son's passport had expired a couple of months prior. In a haze, I immediately realized that without a valid passport, my son could not leave the country. I felt a tingling and energy surge starting at my feet and making its way all up my entire body and up to my head. For a quick instant, all my plans to celebrate with loved ones crumbled in front of me.
In that moment of shock, I stopped and focused on what was still "good." We were healthy. Nothing was broken, my son was fine, I was fine, we had options. I gave my older niece all the resort reservation paperwork to ensure everyone proceeded as planned. We would figure this out and meet them in Punta Cana later that day or the next day. Everyone else was concerned, and my thoughts turned to "Everything is going to work out." And so they continued with boarding their scheduled flight while my son and I stayed behind to figure out our next steps.
After considering renewing his password through expedited 1-day processing in New York City or Philly, my son, who was 12 and would miss his league's world series baseball games to be with us, volunteered to stay behind. He was calm and resolved to join in his games instead. I called his father, who picked him up at the airport.
While we waited for his father to arrive, I rescheduled my flight to Punta Cana, leaving later the same day. By 4 PM, I was at the resort, joining the rest of the group to celebrate my 50th!
Of course, I wished my son had been there. However, at that moment, at the airport, focusing on gratitude and what was going well gave me the resourcefulness to consider our options and find a feasible path forward.
What could have been a disaster turned out to be an incredible celebration of life, friendship, and family. And that experience stays fresh in my memory, and I intend that it serves you when you confront your moments of upheaval.
Call to Action
We are resilient and more resourceful than we give ourselves credit.
Becoming self-aware of our emotions and current state, shifting our focus to appreciation, and the best solution given the circumstances will prevent self-sabotage and unnecessary angst and discomfort.
When things unexpectedly go sideways, consider using this tool--think of three things that you're grateful for.
I hope these drops of golden nuggets from life serve you and provide the daily support you need to take your leadership to the next level and fulfill your full potential.
If you need support, please visit www.callwithginny.com to set up a complimentary strategy session and explore how our programs can help you and your leaders gain critical leadership skills to navigate our complex work environments and not only survive but thrive.
Live with purpose, live with joy!
Coach Ginny 💕
Whenever you're ready, we want to support you. Here are some ways in which we can do this together.
#1 - Increase your confidence and leadership skills to overcome the limitations holding you back and magnify your superpowers: Learn the #1 success secret to becoming the highly impactful, influential leader you are meant to be without sacrificing your well-being. We start soon and only a few spots remain. Get the details here. Email info@executivebound.com with any questions: www.flmprogram.com. #2 - Learn how to prepare to get the job you want with our Personal Branding Masterclass: Our virtual course will show you how to stand out in the job market, confidently. Create a magnetic resume and LinkedIn profile, grow your professional network, and articulate your value, especially during interviews. Get the details here: www.personalbrandingmasterclass.com. #3 - Get out of survival mode and advance your career when you create your 12-month action map in our Visionary Leaders Circle monthly program: Acquire the tools, strategies, and structure to navigate the challenges of a corporate environment, advance steadily, and develop leadership competencies, virtually, with other leaders on the same journey and your own leadership coach. Find out more and register here: www.visionaryleaderscircle.com #4 - Coach with us, virtually, privately, one-on-one: Join one of our private coaching programs, designed to address your specific challenges and goals, flexible to your busy schedule. Our clients earn promotions, higher pay, transition into new roles they love, and enjoy a higher level of financial, physical, emotional, and spiritual well-being. They "do the work" and see the results! 100% virtual, get started with a complimentary session here: www.executivebound.com/get-started #5 - Read our new book: Healing Leadership: How to Lead, Love, and Thrive in Business and Life. Healing Leadership will transform the way you view your role as a leader, how you lead yourself and contribute to others. It includes 41 industry experts who also share their years of experience and insights with you. Visit www.healigleadership.com to order to order your copy today. #6 - Read our book, Fearless Women at Work: Five Powerful Strategies to Thrive in Your Career and Life! This book’s sole purpose is to ignite your personal power to pursue the life of your dreams by applying five practical strategies in a unique process named C.A.R.E.S. Get your copy and BONUS Book Club Guide companion today at www.executivebound.com/book. #7 - Subscribe to our Podcast, the Visionary Leaders Circle! Available on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, and others. Develop your edge to become an impactful leader. Learn from distinguished guests, leadership experts, and your host, Dr. Ginny A. Baro. Leave us a five-star review so others can find us. And to be our guest, email us at info@executivebound.com. Enjoy: www.executivebound.com/podcast. #8 - Read our blog & share it! Keep your mind fresh with ideas. Retool with strategies to navigate challenges at work and in life. And take action that will propel you forward. Knowledge and execution are power. Visit our blog, and if you enjoy the articles, please share them with your friends and colleagues.
#9 - Follow us on Social Media! Click the buttons at the bottom of this email to follow us and enjoy the content we share on our social media channels. Send me a connect request on LinkedIn to grow your network, and Subscribe to my YouTube Channel, where you'll find our dynamic and inspiring Weekly Micro-Learning series.
#10 - Want to become our partner in populating the world with great leaders? Here is how! If you know someone in your trusted network who can use the support of a leadership, check out my 10% referral program. Get the details from our Affiliates & Referral Partners page.
Dr. Ginny A. Baro is an award-winning transformational speaker & leadership coach, career strategist, and #1 best-selling author of Healing Leadership and Fearless Women at Work. Ginny specializes in partnering with organizations and ERGs to develop leadership dream teams. And she supports individuals navigating a corporate hierarchy or transitioning into an entirely new phase of their career. She has successfully facilitated live and virtual leadership training and coaching programs for individuals and Fortune 500 companies with over 140,000 employees, and delivered keynotes impacting global audiences larger than 7,000. To learn more, visit ExecutiveBound.
Join our community and receive valuable strategies delivered to your inbox (we don't spam). Read other articles in our blog, and follow us on LinkedIn, Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram.
Here's how we can help!