'The stars are not wanted now: put out every one;
Pack up the moon and dismantle the sun;
Pour away the ocean and sweep up the wood.
For nothing now can ever come to any good.'
W.H.Auden Stop all the Clocks
Having always been one who was self motivated, I am finding myself in a strange place at the moment. I've lost my Mojo, as they say. And I need to get it back!
Close family bereavement which followed losing the best boss I have ever had has left me 'sailing up the Clyde without a paddle'.
So how am I going to get out of this one? Probably time for reflection.
The last time I had a life changing event, I was forced to take a long hard look at my career. I needed to support my family and couldn't do that in the position I was in. I embarked on several years of study gaining an honours degree. It was a difficult few years where every spare minute was spent studying. Not quite sure where such positive action came from, but it certainly worked to my benefit.
All my working life I have always striven to give service users I was providing for the best service possible. Whether that meant creating a reader in residence project helping prisoners in three different prisons, or a project offering Internet training to the Housebound, or helping form the marketing and reader development policies within my library authority - the end result was to improve services.
Helping new professional librarians through the Chartership process as CSO Candidate Support Officer or as a Mentor to them has given me insight into other sectors and has had reciprocal benefits. It has helped me keep up to date with issues affecting the profession. So I am not usually one who lies down and gives up. As I am on holiday, this is as good a time as any to re-assess what I want to do, where I want to go, make a plan and work to it.
Again using my marathon training as an analogy - a plan is in place for this, which clearly sets out week to week what I have to do. If I want results, if I want to reach my goal, I have to put in effort and pain. If I want to be comfortable in the final stage, I have to put in the ground work, no escaping it.
As with running the same applies with career. You may come across many hurdles, but the key is to get over them as quickly as possible to get on with the race. Rosie Swayle Pope said of hills 'Don't stop until you reach the top'.
Recently I have been training for a special event which included lots of hills and tracks and this has made my running really slow. I have been taking in some beautiful scenery along the way. It is good to slow down and take time out, but not for too long or you lose momentum. I can't afford to be taking in scenery now. It's time to knuckle down to some hard work!
My training schedule also includes health and nutrition and this is equally important in my work. Plenty sleep and a good diet are needed to keep a healthy body and mind. I am keeping a food diary and planning what I need to eat for performance and weight management. I also cannot perform without sleep, whether in work or play. Sleep keeps the mind healthy just as running levels out thinking and keeps the mind focused. Inspirational people really get me motivated and for this reason I am really looking forward to watching the Olympics this year. Reading inspirational books by great people also works for me and I have a list of books I have read and a list of books still to read.*
So what's the plan and can I make it work?
- Send off my Re-validation for Chartership. It's all there, just needs put together. Chartership was my motivation years ago when all I wanted was to be a professional librarian. How can I expect to motivate others if I can't motivate myself?
- Look at my work practises, look at my current remit and see where improvements can be made.
- Don't worry about work situation politics. Trust in my work, I have a long standing reputation. Just do what I have always done, work hard and recognition/rewards will come.
- Restart making my lists. A plan for time management.
- Make time for leisure activities including exercise (not to mention fiddle playing!)
- Look at the big picture and the service wide remits.
- Stop being so introspective. Think of others, my service users for example, my volunteers (get investing in volunteers in the bag). Get my team together and re-motivate, get ideas generating and act on them! Get working groups I lead on motivated and getting results. Teamwork is key. You can be the best at what you do but it is not made possible without a team to support you. Just been watching the Tour De France and these guys can show us what teamwork is all about and what can be achieved in a good one.
- Keep a track of my plan as I do my training plan but don't beat myself up if it doesn't all work out, give myself plenty time to get over my current trauma!!
Lance Armstrong, It's not about the bike
Rosie Swale Pope, Just a little run around the world
Bill Cullen, Golden apples
Susan Jeffers, Feel the fear and do it anyway
Haruki Murakami, What I talk about when I talk about running
Richard Askwith, Feet in the clouds
Planning to read:
Bradley Wiggins, In pursuit of glory
Chrissie Wellington, A life without limits
Chris Hoy, The Autobiography
