SIX WAYS TO
STAY MOTIVATED WHEN YOU REALLY WANT TO QUIT
OFTEN WHEN YOU FEEL
LIKE QUITTING, WHAT YOU REALLY NEED IS TO REFRAME THE WAY YOU APPROACH YOUR
WORK. HERE ARE SIX WAYS TO DO JUST THAT.
We
all hit a wall—a place where we feel like quitting because things get difficult
or boring—but quitting isn’t always the right answer. Instead, you have to find
internal motivation to keep going when you really want to bail, and that can
come down to understanding kinematics, the relative distance between two
bodies, says Stanford University Professor Bernard Roth, author of The Achievement
Habit: Stop Wishing, Start Doing, and Take Command of Your Life.
"If
you quit, your new situation will most likely be similar to the one you left
behind," he says. "All you change is physical difference. If you
think you belong, change the circumstances of your employment by changing how
you hold it all."
NOTHING HAS MEANING—YOU
GIVE IT MEANING. YOU GIVE YOUR LIFE, YOUR JOB, AND THE PEOPLE AROUND YOU
MEANING.
Several
years ago, Roth was feeling stifled and considered leaving Stanford. Instead of
changing his location, however, he decided to change the courses he was
teaching, and how he looked at the situation. He rebooted his career.
"Nothing
has meaning—you give it meaning," he says. "You give your life, your
job, and the people around you meaning. Any unhappiness you have comes in part
from you. Realizing that you control your reaction to stuff gives you a lot of
control over your job."
When
you feel like quitting, Roth says there are six things you can do to rethink or
re-energize the situation:
1. PRACTICE LOOKING AT
THINGS FROM THE OTHER SIDE
If
you’re accusing other people of holding you back or making things difficult,
Roth suggests flipping the script.
"A
colleague of mine was annoyed by an administrator who wanted a lot from
him," says Roth. "Rather than saying ‘She annoys me,’ I suggested
using a projection exercise where you think the reverse, ‘I annoy her.’"
By
seeing the other side, Roth says his colleague was able to understand both
sides of the issue and change the situation. "We often project things on
another person that we don’t want to own ourselves," he says. "It
takes two to tango. When you realize the other person also has feelings, you
can change the relationship and how you hold things."
2. IDENTIFY YOUR
INTENTION
When
you feel like quitting, ask yourself, ‘Do I want to get the job done, or do I
intend to be an obstacle to others?’ Be clear what you want to do, then give it
the necessary time and effort.
"If
you’re pure about what your intention is, give your attention to it," says
Roth. "Trying to do something and actually doing something are two
different things."
3. FIND A DIFFERENT WAY
TO DO THINGS
A
hurdle can’t stop you; you just have to change how you do it, says Roth. A
friend recently shared with him her desire to learn to ride a bicycle at the
age of 30, but she had an inner-ear problem that compromised her balance.
Instead of feeling defeated, she purchased a three-wheel bike.
"Some
people get defeated and blame others without taking responsibility," he
says. "If you want to do it, carry it out. While you’re immersed in
something, you often don’t have objectivity. Realize that you can go through
and come out on the other side."
People
get into trouble when they think the whole world is about them, says Roth.
"Very
little is about us; most people are worried about their own things," he
says. "People take things personally that have nothing to do with them.
Don’t bring the drama on yourself.
"You
can hold a grudge or you can ignore it. I find by ignoring or forgetting about
it, I get to go about life. If I harbor hostility and resentment, it slows me
down and doesn’t serve me at all."
5. REALIZE THAT NOTHING
IS PERFECT
Your
work situation won’t be perfect, and you don’t work with perfect people.
Instead of letting this hold you back, act anyway.
IT IS BETTER TO START TO
DO SOMETHING AND FAIL THAN IT IS TO DO NOTHING AND WAIT FOR THE CORRECT PATH OF
ACTION TO APPEAR.
"It
is better to start to do something and fail than it is to do nothing and wait
for the correct path of action to appear," says Roth. "Often when
it’s over, you wonder what the big deal was in the first place."
6. BEWARE OF YOUR
HABITS
People
have a tendency to fall into patterns and habits, but if your modus operandi
isn’t working, it’s time to change course.
"Look
at what you’re doing to see if it is functional or not," says Roth.
"Takes what works and repeat it. What isn’t working shouldn’t be repeated.
"You
have more control than you think in any job situation. Remember that you give
everything meaning. If you realize that, it’s powerful."
BY STEPHANIE VOZZA
http://www.fastcompany.com/3052640/know-it-all/six-ways-to-stay-motivated-when-you-really-want-to-quit?utm_source=mailchimp&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=fast-company-weekly-newsletter-featured&position=4&partner=newsletter&campaign_date=10302015
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