As a mindful leader, it’s important to know how to deal with challenges, personal and professional. Your attitude, outlook, and faith in life will be tested on a regular basis no matter who you are, so you may as well make the best of it, right? When it comes to leadership, your ability to go through difficult times without crumbling or falling apart becomes even more important because those who consider you their leader will not only be watching the way you handle things; they will also be taking mental notes about how they can apply your habits to their own lives.
At first, it may seem like a good idea to just ignore the stressors or situations that arise in your life and hope that they work themselves out. However, nine times out of ten, they will only get worse with this approach. This makes it imperative to have tools you can use to work through your issues and whatever crazy situations life may throw at you. Without these tools for internal success, external success will be short-lived.
Five Steps to Successfully Travel Through
There is a very basic process that allows us to mentally and emotionally work through whatever is happening without falling apart because of the circumstances. These steps to dealing with issues can be used by anyone and will give you perspective on what’s happening.
Of course, some situations are more challenging and painful than others; but trying to suppress the pain isn’t ideal, while letting it all out at once or in a destructive manner isn’t healthy, either. If you’re a mindful leader, you’ve probably been told that you’re strong, independent, and people admire your courage. It’s only when you don’t feel strong that these words seem hollow. Why do I have to be the strong one all the time?
You don’t. Not all the time. It’s okay to embrace your own humanity, your vulnerability, your sensitivity. However, don’t go overboard, and don’t do so in a way that’s inappropriate for the people surrounding you. You may break down and scream and cry in front of a close friend or family member; however, this isn’t advisable in the workplace.
What five steps will help you make it through? Let’s take a look.
1. Look at the wreckage. The best way to figure out what to do next is to take a close look at the damage and assess it. This will allow you to come up with an effective plan. It will also force you to look at what you fear, which is what they mean when they tell you to face your fears.
2. It is what it is. Accept that whatever happened, happened. Take a step back and make peace with the damage; this will help you to create a positive plan for working through everything.
3. Take responsibility for your own life. This is difficult at first, realizing that you may have contributed to your own misery, but it’s empowering in the long run and will allow you to make more permanent positive changes.
4. Everything is temporary. These difficult times will pass whether you deal with things constructively or destructively. Change is virtually the only guarantee, and making changes yourself is an important aspect of healing and working through problems.
5. Ask for help. If you find that you’re having a difficult time handling things, ask for help. This could be through counseling, coaching, therapy, a friend, or even writing in a journal.
Last but not least, you may not be able to control what happens to you, but you can control how well you take care of yourself. Physical health through diet and exercise will help you to feel better overall, while getting enough sleep will help you maintain higher levels of natural, healthy energy. Cutting out things like sugar, carbs, caffeine, and alcohol will help your body to generate its own natural energy instead of being dependent on substances for fuel.
Another habit that helps on a day to day basis is keeping a gratitude journal. Taking a few minutes a day to focus on the good things in your life and what you’re grateful for can help you maintain a happier outlook as well as a healthier perspective on whatever challenges come your way.
Life isn’t always happy and positive; however, life is life and the beauty of it is to take in and be present with everything that may happen. Experience everything… and learn what you can from it. No one ever said life would be easy… they just promised it would be worth it ;).
