The wave of the pandemic has shifted the grains of sand in the workplace sandbox. Even though we are in a perfect sandstorm for disconnected relationships and conflict, the new landscape is also rich with opportunity, and I believe that people have choices. With choice comes the opportunity to create something new. 

Remember early sandbox play, when you were a kid and could build something today that would be smashed, crumbled, or levelled by the next day? Synonymous with COVID-19, the way that used to be has changed, and this brings about the chance to recreate something new based on our knowledge of what works, what doesn’t work, and what could be our best ‘castle’ ever. (BTW, you can replace ‘castle’ with anything you’re wanting, like ‘career’, ‘relationships’, ‘work-life balance’, ‘health’ etc.) The beauty of working with sand (even as a metaphor) is that it is impermanent. Nothing is ever ‘set in sand’, so you can rebuild over and over again, and it can be fun!

Reimagine Your Best Career

Case in point, the book manuscript I had completed just before the pandemic about workplace conflict hit the recycle bin almost overnight, as I realized that many of the workplace conflict issues had been replaced with deeper concerns, like remote working, the Great Resignation and the distance between people that eroded trust. What was very evident though is that we have become more disconnected than ever due to the pandemic, and with some new thinking, a rewrote a manuscript which attracted an agent, a publisher, and a publicist. It’s my best work ever! It’s current, it’s relevant, and the world is hungry for it.

Here’s a personal example of a talented employee of a large firm, who manages her mindset every morning. Her demanding career was getting to feel like it was too much for her, so she created a 4 day work week for herself. Not everyone in the organization negotiated the same arrangement as her, but I am not surprised to hear that she was able to reimagine her career and then bring it to reality because she has learned the power of creating in her mind first (deliberate creation) and then working at bringing her clarity of thoughts into reality (manifesting). She even wrote her own song about her extra day off each week and got feeling happy and excited about the reality by singing every day, long before the change was granted by her employer. Brilliant and Responsible! (She has taken responsibility for creating her best career.)

Let’s get to work!

To reimagine your best career, take some time to think about what that looks like and feels like. Creating it in your mind is the most important step. Write it down in great detail. This requires you to begin thinking more about what you want and less about what you don’t want, or what you are complaining about, and the shift to a more positive mental state will follow. This is a critical step because you will never go higher than your thoughts, and it’s your responsibility to be thinking about what you are thinking about and make the shift. (What I call the HOLY SHIFT, and speaking of songs, I wrote a power song about that.)

The key here is to take the time you need to reimagine and create your greatest career in your mind first.  Don’t let limited beliefs get in your way. Prepare to spend about 20 or 30 minutes thinking up the greatest ideas possible and lock them down with ink on paper. Then, get feeling as if it’s already happening as my friend did with her song. The faster you can bring the feeling into the thinking, the faster you’ll get results.

In my next Leadership Tip, I am going to walk you through an activity that I use when I am feeling stuck in negative thinking about a situation or another person’s behaviour. Watch for it because you won’t want to miss having the valuable tool in your toolbox for success in workplace relationships.

Until then, enjoy creating your greatest career. Consider pre-ordering my new book at one of the links below where you’ll find a ton of ideas to help you create the castle of your dreams.

Penny

Did you hear? My new book is now available for preorder! Sandbox Strategies for the New Workplace: Conflict Resolution from the Inside Out is a playful system to help professionals embrace (and even welcome) conflict with coworkers, bosses, clients, and others.

Purchase your copy at:  Amazon.com, BooksAMillion, Barnes and Noble, Rowman and Littlefield, or IndieBound.org