Newton's law of motion teaches us that an object in motion tends to stay in motion. This principle applies to each of us as well -- if we want to find our passion, we have to put passion into the things we do. If we want to have more energy, we have to move more. Energy creates energy, and passion creates passion.
Who doesn't want positive, energetic people around? This is especially true at work, where we spend more than eight hours a day. Some days you see your coworkers more than your spouse or children!
Look around you - your colleagues, your bosses, your team - there are certain people who can walk into a room and, suddenly, life is far from boring. They're not necessarily the life of the party - it's more like they're full of life. They're reaping what they sow. Others respond to their positive attitude and, hopefully, are paying it forward in their own way.
These people arrive in the morning ready to conquer obstacles and succeed. They're willing to go the extra mile to "break through glass" and innovate with what they have.
They're bringing their best selves to work!
"Bring your best self to work" is a motto I like to promote with my own team. And it's great to see everyone embrace it in their own individual ways. We feed on each other's energy, and our customers can tell how excited we are about what we do.
But this isn't something you can just turn on as soon as you walk in the door. It takes more than putting on a smile. It's what you do outside of work that determines the true attitude you'll bring to it. Most of us focus so much on excelling at work, but sometimes we forget that what we do after work and on the weekends is a key marker to our success.
Bringing your best self to work means you have to invest in yourself, be mindful of how you spend your time and, most of all, have fun!
Here are four ways to make sure you bring your best self to work:
1.Know what you want. Determine the type of person you want to be. If it helps, develop your own mission statement or manifesto. This will evolve over time, but it will help you from ending in a place you didn't really want to be to begin with.
2.Continue learning. Be a student of life, always looking for new experiences that will give you different perspectives about other cultures and innovative ideas. You don't need to go enroll in a class at a local college. Just live, say yes to opportunities, travel, visit museums, read -- that is the essence of learning, embracing the new.
3.Develop hobbies. I absolutely love to garden and go fly fishing... spending time outdoors, away from a computer. It's a change of scenery for me, and it helps me feel accomplished in other areas of my life. For you, it may be cooking, playing an instrument, rebuilding cars or painting. Being well-rounded is not only important for high school seniors applying for college -- this quality differentiates us as professionals as well.
4.Relieve stress. Sometimes we can find ourselves carrying the stress of the previous week, even the previous month. The point is to reset and leave behind the worries and concerns of the day. It may be with yoga, running, meditating or jamming to your favorite song -- whatever works for you.
Bringing your best self to work is an ongoing process. It's not about perfection but a striving to improve in all areas of your life.
So, what will you do tonight to bring your best self to work tomorrow?