The fact I also have a sinus condition which also causes serious "nose drip" (this is the actual term from the doctor) where my nose opens up like the huka falls and runs faster than Usain Bolt also does not inspire enthusiasm. In saying this, I was still inspired by my somewhat faster husband. (Actually, I just wanted to over-take him to prove a point, but that is simply a side issue!) I was inspired to actually hit my target- a training ride of 20km and a burn rate of more than 35 Min's in zone. I finished with a smile when I read my heart rate monitor- 44 minutes in zone, 50 Min's and completing my 20km's and I had even managed to overtake the husband in several parts of the ride! Mission accomplished!
The photo in this blog shows another cycling accomplishment- cycling over the Auckland Harbour Bridge with Wayne (beloved faster husband)and Warren (our fleet manager) from work. We all loved it and have our medals proudly around our neck as proof we actually finished. I remember on the start line, I was so nervous I had to get Wayne to hold my bike so I could find a porta-a-loo to do a mad dash to the loo!. I was so worried and clearly nervous about cycling over that bridge as I did not think I was going to do very well up the steep bit. It actually was so easy, I found the people in front of me going to slow and I nearly fell-off due to the slow pace. Oh the irony!Although some things don't provoke enthusiasm for me, I must admit, when it comes to business, I know how to harness this skill and to share it with others I come into contact with.
Attached to my monitor is a post-it note- it simply reads "Your Enthusiasm is Infectious".
Underneath it, it reads, "Bank Manager, National Bank". This is what my bank manager said to me when I was describing my current start-up business- Back2Fit last in 2011.
Its strange, as people have always talked about my 'energy' but never in this way.
Its so great to sit down at my desk and look over at the post-it note as such a simple thing can really fire you up to rev on all cylinders!
I have this post-it on my monitor as a constant reminder about how important it is to stay focused on the end goal, just as I did in the weekend with my road cycling. It may take a while, in this case years, but I know it will happen. I also have near the entry to my bedroom a small plaque that says "Believe in yourself". Something else I think is vitally important in business and in life.
I think of the time I was rehabilitating from Spinal surgery, here I was thinking I could master anything...well, that slowed me down! I even had to cancel the meetings I had booked 3 days after my surgery as I realised fairly quickly that I was not going to be able to walk or even sit down for some period of time! What kept me focused was simply a sheet of paper stuck to the glass window where I marked off how many times I had managed to walk up and down the stairs. I told myself when I got to 20, I'd be ready to walk outside. It took me a week to walk up and down a flight of stairs 20 times in one go. But I still did it and never lost sight of the goal, despite the fact that some days I could barely make it up and down 4 times.
So back to the topic of enthusiasm....last week, had one of those multi-meeting days when I had back-to-backs, I got back to my desk to see around 100 unread messages. I started digging my way through them and started to smile as 2 of the people I had meetings with had already gotten back to me, both meeting about different things, but both started the same way "I was really excited after our meeting today..." Not long after I read these, I got a text (yes, it still talks to me (see my other post about Technology getting the better of you!). It read "Hey CRMFriend (yes, they are a CRM customer!!), good job today- the team very excited...).
It reminded me of how important encouragement is- take it from anywhere and use it. I once even had someone who worked for me that used to have an Outlook folder called "Encouragement". In this folder he had emails from customers and other staff where he had been praised for something. He kept them clearly as a reminder that he was doing a good job, despite the days where he felt he might not have been. We can all learn from this.
So the trick really is- harness the encouragement- take it from anywhere you can get it. Bottle it, keep it close and use it as a secret weapon. Stay focused on your end goal, excite others so you can harness their excitement to keep you moving forward.
Just image how different the world would be if we all worked this way!
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