It seems when trying to grow a company or even improve ourselves, we always run into roadblocks. I’m too tired to read tonight or I don’t have the time to go to the gym this week are common excuses in a lot of our lives. The problem is that when we find these excuses in our personal life, that it carries over to our workplace. And even more fatal to our productivity is our dismissive or negative attitudes, including how we feel about ourselves.
Most times when a project fails it’s blamed on a budget, or technology, or marketing, but what if we are missing a factor? Perhaps the self-esteem of the employees should be considered as a reason of both fault and success. We look for confidence when interviewing for new employees, yet many don’t consider an employee’s willpower when diagnosing a projects failure. Self-esteem and willpower aren’t the only factors to consider though. An employee’s past experience, motives, intolerances, and technological know-how all can impact a projects outcome.
How we spend our time and focus our energy directly relates to our personality. If you spend your time critiquing others work and finding flaws as part of your job, then your personality will adapt, causing you to find flaws in all things. If you repair things for a living you will always be looking for something to fix, and that may or may not include people. We must not let this attitude created by our daily actions impact our lives in a negative way. Sometimes you need to let go of who you are during the day, and approach a project with a fresh look and no expectations.
These problems can affect both your personal and professional lives. Are you trying to improve your workplace through better task management? Get those forms turned in on time for once? Or maybe you are trying to learn a new language in your spare time? Spending time on these tasks can be difficult on its own, but it is especially hard when you have to battle with a poor attitude or lack of motivation.
The best way to prevent catching yourself in this predicament is to be aware of what fuels you, what slows you down, and balance yourself accordingly. Don’t wait for someone else to motivate you, motivate yourself. If you know a certain type of work or situation will only slow you down, let your boss know how you could be more productive.