Days can be long, mornings can be tough, and the last two hours at work feel like an abyss that you can barely climb out of. Life itself is not easy: there are meetings you have to attend, events to take your kids to, trying to maintain a respectable reputation for your piers and the younger generation to look up to, assignments that your boss may blind side you with. Everyone seems to be waiting and depending on you to complete the next objective on the checklist of life. If being overwhelmed and stressed is the battle we are fighting against than what is our sword and shield in this situation? How can we stay in check?
-What’s your incentive?
Why do you do what you do? What is your goal? Always remember our goals directly affect our performance. If “getting through your shift” is your goal for the day than that is what your work will reflect. Students, classes seem too stressful and irrelevant, what’s your incentive? Think of how great it is going to feel standing in front of your classmates and family receiving your diploma or getting your first job interview and having “Graduate of ____ University” on your resume. Maybe your job seems overwhelming. Remember that you go to your office eight hours a day so you can provide food, clothing, and shelter for your family. If you have a meaningful incentive in the center of everything that you do than the work will not be as torturous as it may seem because there is a reason for what you do.
-Understand your roles in life
No matter who you are, no matter what you do, we all have multiple roles in life. We play multiple characters on the daily: father, daughter, employee, teammate, mentor, friend, acquaintance, student, gym partner, etc. One way that helps you be the best in each of your roles is to write them down in your notes on your phone. Take a peak at them in the morning and look at who you are. What role do you need to improve in? Maybe you haven’t been a good son; give your parents a call that day because we all know that they would kill to know how their little baby boy is doing. Then at the end of the day take a few minutes to reflect and grade yourself. Were you a good employee? Were you respectful to your boss? Were your assignments turned in on time and done with precision? Get familiar with the roles you play in peoples lives so you can be better in every aspect of your life.
-Don’t be Perfect, be Excellent
Perfection is unobtainable. Know that everyone messes up and will fall short at some point in life. There is no need to get down on yourself because you missed a deadline or was late. Having faults are what every human has in common. Instead focusing on perfection (something that is unobtainable) let’s focus on the next best, excellence. This doesn’t mean to lower your work ethic from striving for perfection to settling for excellence but strive for perfection but understand that excellence is the best we can do. Also know that excellence doesn’t go unnoticed. The people around you will see how hard you work. The reason why we need to be excellent in all we do is because one day the excellence in your work will pay off. It may lead to the promotion or help get a positive, reliable reputation around your community.
Life itself is not easy. In order to fight against the mundane, routine work day we must stay incentivized, understand our roles in life, and be excellent in all that we do. with this checklist in mind, the simple tasks that could be looked over will start to mean more to us. We can be the best that we can be.
