If your Mojo has been a NO SHOW lately – you’re definitely not alone!  As we push through another week of restrictions, border closures, home schooling and working from home … today I give you permission to show yourself a little love and compassion.   

Being self-critical or annoyed with yourself isn’t the answer.  Beating yourself up for struggling to maintain your usually high standards of productivity and dedication to excellence, is likely to only make the situation more challenging.

The impact of Ground hog day is not insignificant. 

As I sat down this morning to write this weekly blog – I hit up against a brick wall.  My fingers hovered above the keyboard – and nothing. 

My mind flipped flopped from being totally blank and vacant…  to wildly distracted.  Perhaps I need to check my email, Facebook, LinkedIn and have a long chat with the lovely woman who handed me my coffee.  I answered a few emails and busied myself with a few mindless tasks, while waiting for inspiration strike.

But it didn’t.

And while I struggled to get the cogs turning, time slipped by with nothing of significance achieved. 

The lack of variety in our life is stifling our creativity.  The mental load is heavy, and the absence of deep and nurturing social contact is taking a toll.

 There’s so much of this experience we have no control over – so let’s stay focused on that which we can control.

 Over the years of working with mid-career professional women, I’ve seen 3 key elements are required for us to enjoy our work

• Growth: We need to be experiencing personal and professional growth
• Contribution: We need to feel like we are doing meaningful work that is making a difference.
• Recognition: We need feel our best work is being recognised and rewarded.

So, it gets me wondering … how can we tap into these three elements to re-ignite the spark for our work.

Here are my tips

1. Focus on Growth

Your mind body and soul are craving variety and one of the best ways to create a little variety is by focusing on your professional development.  But before you freak out – I’m not talking about embarking on an MBA or some other all-consuming program.  NO!  Let’s start small. 

You might decide to focus on setting better boundaries, or learning to articulate your thoughts or plans more succinctly or redefining your leadership style, allowing you to step up to the next level of leadership.

2. Focus on contribution

On those days that life feels a little heavy – focus on what matters most – to you, your team and your organisation. Get clear on the priorities and set yourself the goal of getting those activities done.  There’s nothing like a little endorphin rush that comes from knowing you’ve done great work, to boost the mood and lift your spirits. 

3. Toot your horn.

Getting the recognition, you deserve has become even more challenging in this virtual environment. I know that your work should speak for itself, and your boss should be taking an interest in what you are doing, but let’s face it – they’ve possibly struggling just as much as you are right now to notice what you are doing.

So, as much as you hate seeing others boasting about their work – I want you to be bold (while humble) and take every opportunity to raise your profile, speak about the great work you do and sharing the goals your team are achieving.

4. Find your inspiring tribe

We are not meant to live life in isolation.  Finding you tribe – who lift you are up, keep you moving forward and drive you to continue to strive to do your best work is key. 

Each time I’ve felt a little flat I’ve tapped into one of my professional support groups (I have a couple.)  I get inspired by their achievements and take guidance and support on where to focus my time and energy next.  But what fuels my soul most of all is being able to laugh, cry and celebrate the big and small moments together. 

5. Cut yourself some slack.

And finally, cut yourself some slack.  Just as it’s OK not to be OK… it’s OK not to be at your very best every single day.  Be kind to yourself and acknowledge how you are feeling.  If today is not a great day – then do what you can and let go of the rest. 

Hang in there.  There is a glimmer of hope at the end of this very long COVID tunnel.  This time will pass and eventually we’ll share stories about how we survived this time.