For anyone who travels, you know the drill, in case of emergency put your oxygen mask on first before helping others. To cultivate a positive culture in any organization, you need to make sure your mind and body are infused with upbeat thoughts and vigor.
Here are five ways to feed your energy:
1. Exercise your mind and body.
Release the chatter in your mind through breathing or stepping away from regular work. Take a few minutes daily to pause, listen, and reflect. Listen to music, do a meditation, take a walk, or reach out to a trusted loved one or friend. Feed your body with healthy food and snacks, sit down, lay down, or get up. Change your position and change your outlook.
2. Affirm your commitment.
Shift your consciousness to make sure your words and actions are aligned. Be open, honest, and in balance with yourself. You will radiate with energy and confidence. Document or say your commitment out loud. Be accountable in all that you do.
3. Understand preferences.
We all have different preferences for how we approach life and work. There are no right or wrongs. Take the time to understand them for yourself and others. You can uncover more by taking different assessments such as a Myers-Briggs® or reading about different types. Once you learn to recognize these differences, you can learn to respect and celebrate them.
4. Foster healthy dialogue.
Create a safe environment that allows people to share information in an open and nonjudgmental manner. Be the leader in all that you do. Get to the root cause of issues and collaborate to fix them—schedule regular check-ins to keep the conversations going.
5. Recognize contributions from others.
Maya Angelou said it best, “I’ve learned that people will forget what you said, people will forget what you did, but people will never forget how you made them feel.” Show your appreciation through words of encouragement or small gestures. Take the time to recognize the significant contributions others have made to your success. Celebrate milestones and achievements.