It’s OK to Have Fun!

The theme this week has been “lighten up, give yourself a break, celebrate your successes!”

Don’t you think we’re all our own worst critics?  And leadership brings with it a whole ‘nother level of personal critique and judgment.  Yes, it is important to improve, and we can always do better.  Yes, there are times when the goal seems farther away rather than closer.  Yes, there are others who are happy to let us know how unhappy they are with our performance, or our time management, or even our income.  It’s up to motivate ourselves, but too often we do that with negative incentives.

Think about that for a minute.  If you were trying to motivate your child, or your employee (or even your dog!), would you beat them up consistently with what they hadn’t done?  Or would you reward success, show your appreciation for a job well done, have compassion for their stress?  As a team leader or business owner, you have accepted responsibility for keeping yourself moving, and I would recommend you do that with as much consideration as you would when you motivate others.

You have not gotten where you are today without some successes along your way.  When you have a success, take a moment to celebrate!  When you’re feeling down, remember you’re still only human.  When you’re afraid, and payroll is one more time right around the corner, remember that you can’t think clearly or productively when you’re caught up in the stress and take a moment to get centered in your mind.  As leaders, we are tremendous taskmasters.  It’s fun, it’s exciting, and sometimes it’s harsh.  Just for today, leave harsh behind and lighten up J