This week I had a day when a reviewer threw cold water
to my back (saying that the research plan of my article was completely wrong and
that I should redo the study with a completely different setup), a conference abstract
which was supposed to be a formality got rejected, and I realized that the projects
planned will never be ready on time. I felt out of energy and like a failure. Days like this happen to all of us, but at a moment like this, it is good to reflect how to
keep calm.
I am the type
of person who has sacrificed a lot for career (for example, I do not have a
family, because I never felt like I would have enough time and would not want
to do it half-way) so how could I still feel accomplished and good about myself?
Of course, the first thing you can do is call a friend. This approach is sure to work
– at least momentarily – just to let it all out and have someone close to you
listen to you and support you. So it is worth making the use of!
In the long
run, however, it is good to have other strategies as well. Career planning is
a great way to set yourself on the map. I found some great tools online, that
are available to all. I warmly recommend taking the free personality test to
map your strengths and weaknesses. This was very useful for me, as
I often find myself wondering why I get upset at work. It turned out that I
have sometimes ended up in the wrong environment. I found out which pattern I have followed and what to do to avoid it. Instead of quietly trying
to solve my own problems and deal with difficulties alone, to me the best
strategy is teaming up with colleagues and share knowledge. This way of working
makes me achieve more, feel more efficient, and this brings the feeling of ease.
Work does not have to be difficult all the time!
Other
strategies I discovered to bring satisfaction to daily routines, was a reality
check with myself. I clarified (with a pencil and sheet of paper) my goals, my
values and my beliefs that have made me select my current career path. That
being visualized, I asked myself I where I want to be, and what actions
should I take to get there. I found out that I want things that I
currently have not let myself a permission to have. Quite a feeling to discover
something like that. It is actually quite a relief to realize that it is not,
in fact, the others to blame for the bad mood, but that there is a lot you can
do yourself to get in a better mood.
So, this
week my suggestion to all of you is, despite in what career stage you are, to take a
moment to really get to know what kind of worker you are. Five minutes of honest self-reflection every
day can improve your chances of success, make you feel like you are on the
right track and magically, life seems so much better.
Let’s be
brave and let’s dream big!
Here are some links I found useful:
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