Note to Self ...

Have you ever felt like this...? “I didn’t mean to do it (fill in the blank here). I knew what I should do, I knew in my heart-of-hearts it was working and would continue working, and I did it anyway. I messed-up. I know it. Emotionally, it was a bad day. It was a bad week. I let myself down. And the rewards I reaped from that letdown turned out to be pretty doubtful at best. And short-lived.”

Give yourself a break. Most of us have been there. After all, we’re not perfect. We’re human.

Augusten Burroughs author of ‘Running With Scissors,” “Magical Thinking,” and "Dry" wrote: Think of your head as an unsafe neighborhood—don’t go there alone. 

That might be a little extreme, but maybe not totally off-base. This is why teams are so important when we are navigating through—it. Team building is a high-impact learning experience. Team members quickly discover that diversity is their greatest asset, and that trust, cooperation, and effective communication are the keys to their success. People on teams tend to like each other and work hard to develop and maintain relationships—they don’t want to let each other down.

This results in open and direct communication, frequent praising of each others’ contributions, and mutual support. Personal and team growth provides an additional basis for sustained motivation. When people feel they are moving forward, learning new behaviors, and contributing to a personal or special cause, motivation remains high. 

Whether you know it or not, you are probably on several teams—your family is a team, you and your fellow workers or officemates are a team, you may be on a committee, you may be on a formal team at work, you may play sports—you get the idea. You can create your teams and choose the teams you want to be on. Teams are powerful things.

There have been times, and there will be others when you let yourself down. You know better, you do it anyway. You left the team and entered that “unsafe neighborhood.” The good news is, you can always go back. You can get back on-board. 

Really, wouldn’t you rather be a participant, than an onlooker, watching from the sidelines?