3 Practical Strategies to Avoid Stagnation

Pam, a mentor cautioned me from the day I started doing this work
nearly eleven years ago, “Misti, you’re going to need to expand
on what you’re doing. You’ll get bored with speaking about
generational differences at some point.”


 


At the time, I thought she was crazy, and so I ignored her
advice. Instead, I kept my head down in my work, and stayed
comfortable in what I knew, failing expand my service offerings.
 


 


A couple of years later, remembering Pam’s words stung as I
struggled to learn two important lessons: enthusiasm sells and
Pam was right—my enthusiasm was gone.  


 


Instead of continuing to challenge myself, slowly over time, I
was suddenly faced with, “Shift now, or die trying,” much the
same as some big companies, like Blockbuster.


 


After spending far too long in self-pity and immense frustration,
I allowed my natural curiosity to re-emerge. In my quest to
understand the food industry, I found myself knee-deep in cow
dung, learning about the proper density and it’s impact on the
environment from my new friend, Mike, who runs a local farm.


 


Naturally, I also gravitated to Seth Goldman, CEO and co-founder
of Honest Tea headquartered in Bethesda, Maryland. His passion
for leadership, company culture, and, of course, tea, was
infectious.


 


I devoured books like Conscious Capitalism, Start with Why, Turn
the Ship Around, and Joy, Inc. just to name a few. My passion for
understanding the people behind such great companies lead me to
interviewing many of them on my Provoking Your Greatness podcast.


 


Just six months after I took the plunge and allowed my natural
curiosity to take the place of comfort, I landed a
career-changing opportunity to work with the CIO of an
organization whose mission is literally to save our planet.


 


While it took me several years of frustration and pain to finally
understand the true significance of Pam’s advice, I created a
process to ensure I heed this advice for the rest of my life.
Here’s my process, which I hope will continue to evolve:


 
Get Intentionally Uncomfortable. My friend and colleague, Dan
Thurmon, calls this, “Off balance, on purpose.” Change and
discomfort are a natural process of life, so why not train in it?
In reality, our bodies are made up of mostly water, and stale,
stagnant water doesn’t smell so pretty. The great news here is that
getting intentionally uncomfortable in your non-work life has a
very positive impact on your work life. So pick something and go
for it. Here are a few different areas to chose discomfort:

Sports

Languages

Certifications

Networking, or events

Writing, speaking, or other skills

Taking on a project you have no idea how to do

New job, new industry, new responsibilities

Raising funds

Take Note. One of my greatest mentors, Jim Rohn, used to say,
“Don’t just get through the day, get from the day.” The best way to
get from the day is to keep a journal, and take note of what you
learn during the day. Knowing that you ultimately need to write
something in that slot, you’ll find yourself paying close attention
to what you’re learning. Here are three great headings to journal
on:

Gratitude—what happened in the day that you’re grateful for?

My Qualities—list the positive qualities that you exhibited
in that day. (I.e. good writer, generous, kind, thoughtful, etc).

Learning—what did you learn about yourself (i.e. I don’t like
to let go of control, I cannot help but coach, I laugh loud, I
love learning about food and nutrition), and/or what did you
learn from your experiences (i.e. coal and charcoal are not of
the same material, my shoulders hurts because they are rotated
forward—out of socket—and the exercises help pull them back into
proper positioning.) If you get to the end of the day without
learning something new, jump on TedTalks.

Just as you would study any new software to find out how it
works, study yourself to find out what’s working and what needs to
change so you can get the results you want. A great way to do this
is by reading your journal entries at the end of the week.

 


Don’t just get through life—get from it. Keep growing, keep
learning, and keep challenging yourself to do what you never
thought possible. In the process, you will undoubtedly provoke
others to step into their greatness.


 


Here’s to Your Greatness,


  


Misti Burmeister


 


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