✴️ Can you think of just one thing you don't like about your current role?
Not too hard is it?
✴️ We all have elements of our role we would rather avoid, some of us face more of these elements than others and some we are more vehement about than others.
But the things we don't like can often consume more of our attention and energy than the aspects of our role we do enjoy. We consciously or unconsciously find avoiding strategies to try and put off the inevitable, but these invariably just magnify our pain and also create the possibility of distress for our colleagues who are depending on us to deliver.
✴️ So what can be done about it?
Most of the discomfort we have with a given task is a reflection of our thoughts associated to the task rather than the task itself. For example, we might feel it is something we are not good at, or it simply isn't very interesting, or it's too difficult, or we are uncomfortable having the difficult conversation for fear of conflict, etc.
Cognitive Based Therapy and Mindfulness approaches can offer a simple and effective solution.
Become a detective to the thought patterns and associations with your mind. When faced with a task that would are inclined to avoid, look into the thoughts, feelings and bodily associations that are appearing.
For example; you have a report to hand in to your boss, you feel a knot in your stomach, thoughts turn to the prospect of disappointing your boss and facing being on the list of annual company "efficiency savings", your boss already doesn't like you after all...
Simply ask yourself how likely to be true the thoughts are that you are associating to the given task. Are all the thoughts equally likely to be true?
Resolve yourself to focus on the task itself rather than the thoughts you are associating to the task.
Watch what happens. You might find some interesting changes in your mental landscape.
Please let me know what you think about this and whether you might be able to try this in your work or personal life.
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