Today’s landscape in the workplace is complicated and constantly on the move. Our mental toughness is constantly tested. ‘Pivot’ has become the new buzzword. We pivot from plan A to plan B. The ability to navigate and manoeuvre is crucial. Does everyone have these traits and personalities? No. Should we all aspire to possess them? Not necessarily, each of us has unique skills and strengths and our goal in life is to find the tap that turns them on. What if we don’t have a plan B to pivot to?
What do you do if you can’t see where to navigate to?
Does this sound familiar? You’re stuck in a hole, there’s an overwhelming urge to bury your head and emerge 12 months down the line when the world will be a better place. You know you want to shift something. You can possibly see the route you want to take. And yet, you just can’t put one foot in front of the other.
Just stop for a second and take a breath. Look around you. Raise your head. Say out loud:
“I need a little help here guys. I’m a little bit lost and could do with some guidance”.
There. You’ve done it. You’ve conquered the peak of the mountain: asking for help. And you know what will happen now? Who knows exactly but whatever it is, it will and can only have a positive impact on your life. You’ll gain a mentor, possibly a tribe of mentors and allies and you’ll know that out there in the world, are a whole host of people who have your back.
The power, the energy, the ideas, the positive mindset you’ll gain from just saying ‘help’ will be life-changing. Your courage in wanting to venture into new territory is an achievement in itself. Your desire to seek an authentic life fueled by passion is where the secret to success waits.
It may feel intimidating, you may feel like you’ve failed, but why? Can’t you see that resilience comes from failure? Asking for help provides an opportunity to learn, apply tips, connect, build allies, and in doing so you’ll make your own strengths visible and your voice heard.
So get out there, get motivated, shout ‘help’ and gather your tribe. Through connections, you’ll find the strength and determination to re-energise, reflect, re-engage, and then reposition. Then in time, your strengths will be refined, re-honed, and, re-aligned to your core values. Your resilience will stand firm when you climb the next mountain and you’ll learn to fail better.
Here are a few quotes to inspire you!
A mentor is someone who allows you to see the hope inside yourself. (Oprah Winfrey)
Communication leads to community, that is, to understanding, intimacy, and mutual valuing. (Rollo May)
When you find people who not only tolerate your quirks but celebrate them with glad cries of “me too!” be sure to cherish them…because those weirdos are your tribe!
One of the greatest values of mentors is the ability to see ahead what others cannot see and to help them navigate a course to their destination. (John C. Maxwell)
You will be too much for some people. Those people aren’t your people.
The delicate balance of mentoring someone is not creating them in your own image but giving them the opportunity to create themselves. (Steven Spielberg)
People are weird. When we find someone with weirdness that is compatible with ours, we team up and call it love. (Dr. Seuss)
We make a living by what we get, we make a life by what we give. (Winston Churchill)
Call it a clan. Call it a network. Call it a tribe. Call it a family. Whatever you call it, whoever you are, you need one. (Jane Howard)
The greatest good you can do for another is not just to share your riches but to reveal to him his own. (Benjamin Disraeli)
We’re here for a reason. I believe a bit of the reason is to throw little torches out to lead people through the dark. (Whoopi Goldberg)
