Q: It seems that my get up and go has “got up and went!” Unfortunately, I just can’t seem to get started this year. Help!
A: Several of my clients have voiced the same issue and when I listen closely it seems that their inaction or slow start is the product of a general malaise. I choose the word malaise deliberately because it means a general discomfort—being ill at ease. No wonder, given the current unknowns of 2017. Almost all the media outlets and pundits agree that we have more information and unknowns coming at us this year than ever before. My comments are not politically motivated—we are experiencing the effect of accelerated cultural changes and information overload. It’s impossible to keep up.
Listen carefully to the messages in the launch meetings that your senior managers are 
holding. Ask questions and think about how your firm’s 2017 vision, values and metrics apply to your role and your goals for this year. Get grounded.
Now, step back and get curious about the swirl of local and global changes and their effect on you. Consider these important questions:
- What are the key headlines or issues that capture your attention?
- What is your reaction: Confusion? Avoidance? Engagement?
- How are you making meaning of what is happening?
- What about the stuff that “just doesn’t fit” or align with your ethics, experience or values?
- What is your typical response to the change? Do you need time to think? Need more information?
I wonder,
- What is your mood: Are you optimistic? Depressed? Angry? Hopeful? Fearful? Confused?
- What are your expectations for 2017? Is your glass half-full or half-empty?
Remember that you have an important choice to make right now. You can get started! You will notice that when you are moving—in action and going in a direction of your choice—that your whole mood will change. Move from malaise to mindful actions. Get going and you will change your mood and raise your energy. Here is a tip that always works: SMILE. Your smile will trigger good feelings in you and in all you meet: the whole world will smile with you. Re-energize: Listen to Dean Martin.
Make January your month!