Hardly anyone will argue the fact that the personal well-being of an employee plays a huge role in determining how well they do their jobs. We all strive to keep our personal lives separate from the office and succeed in various degrees, but ultimately executives crying at their desks, and members of staff distracted at presentations, remind us once in a while that the people who work in our organizations are actually
people.
However, it is not your employer’s duty to babysit you or manage your life. You are responsible for taking care of yourself and being on top of your game at all times. And one way to do this is by learning not to sweat the small stuff. In
Don’t Sweat the Small Stuff, Richard Carlson began by making readers acutely aware that many of the things we take very seriously are actually little traps that drain us; traps that can be easily avoided.
Reading this book, I had cause to pause and take stock of various situations that had seemed monumental at the time and I realized that most of them were not really as earth-shattering as they had seemed back then and certainly not worthy of the time and emotions I invested in them.
When you keep the little things from driving you crazy, you increase productivity. Keeping the big picture in mind and realizing that not everything is a big deal shaves a whole lot of stress off your life. Your own attitude is vital. Once you have a hold on your attitude, and learn the habit of responding to life with more ease, you will find that even the authentically “big stuff” won’t destabilize you as they used to.
It is good to take life seriously, but not so much that every little molehill becomes a mountain.
Letting go of the idea that we must be aggressive and wound tightly to be super achievers, helps put things in perspective. Many executives have targets of some kind. From the telecommunications customer care representative’s required number of calls taken in a day, to the bank marketer’s millions to be brought in monthly, it’s not difficult to be filled with anxious and mostly negative thoughts.
Stop the train of negative thoughts before it has a chance to get going; be aware of the snowballing effect.
There’s no denying you’re busy, but this doesn’t mean you should be overwhelmed. Nip negative trains of thought in the bud.
Develop compassion; it’s amazing what can happen when you’re willing to put yourself in someone else’s shoes, imagining what it’s like to be in the other person’s predicament.
When I worked in client service I had to deal with “impossible clients”, the kinds who continue to test your patience with their constant hounding and unreasonable demands. Usually, after getting off the phone with them, I would find myself exhausted and ready to complain bitterly to the next person. After dealing with one such client one fateful day, I was prompted to put myself in their shoes. I asked myself what it would be like to work for a new company that hadn’t made any money yet. How would I feel if my boss had to keep spending money on PR and Advertising without having made a single naira in profit? Would my boss take out his frustrations on me? And if he did, would I be nicer to someone I paid for a service, than this client just was to me?
Thankfully, each one of us is a work-in-progress, and by working towards these goals, we will not only become more effective in our businesses but will also avoid losing touch with the magic and beauty of life.
