If I asked you to diagram your year, what would it look like? My instinct is that it would resemble a dip, starting out high, dropping to a low, and then coming back up.
Almost all projects, roles, years, or experiences go through a dip. It only makes sense. We are typically excited to start, often get stuck in the doing of the doing, and then find a way to emerge in a good place on the back end of the experience. Think school years. Or new teams. Or sporting events for that matter.
Experiencing a dip is natural. We can't avoid them. That said, we can shrink their length and emerge sooner if we know two simple things:
In a recent coaching session, my client and I discovered that the answer to both is often tied to values. When we dip, it's because we lose sight of values (the beliefs that made us want to start in the first place) or we get casual with our values. When we emerge, it's because we ground ourselves in those deep-seeded beliefs and live authentic to them.
The trick is that those values are different for each person. So take 5 minutes to do this:
Getting through dips, and helping others do the same, is the key to maintaining energy for the work!
Almost all projects, roles, years, or experiences go through a dip. It only makes sense. We are typically excited to start, often get stuck in the doing of the doing, and then find a way to emerge in a good place on the back end of the experience. Think school years. Or new teams. Or sporting events for that matter.
Experiencing a dip is natural. We can't avoid them. That said, we can shrink their length and emerge sooner if we know two simple things:
- What triggers the dip for you?
- What triggers emergence?
In a recent coaching session, my client and I discovered that the answer to both is often tied to values. When we dip, it's because we lose sight of values (the beliefs that made us want to start in the first place) or we get casual with our values. When we emerge, it's because we ground ourselves in those deep-seeded beliefs and live authentic to them.
The trick is that those values are different for each person. So take 5 minutes to do this:
- Identify a recent dip. Hint, you may be (read: likely are) in one now.
- Identify what triggered it.
- Identify what helped you emerge.
- Dig for the values by asking "why." For example, if you got into the dip because time got away from you and you began spending more and more time at work, explore the value that was challenged. Balance? Priorities? Taking care of self?
Getting through dips, and helping others do the same, is the key to maintaining energy for the work!
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