Fear, frustration, doubt, anxiety, confusion – these are some of the most challenging emotions we experience in our lives, and today they are surging among many social impact practitioners. If your head is spinning with questions about the impact the new administration will have on your work and your community, you are not alone.
There is a lot in motion and much of it is out of our control. Yet, what is in our control is how we respond. Our instincts may tell us to keep our heads down, but there are tools we can use to build mental strength and keep moving forward with confidence.
Just as I have a daily training regime to rehab my knee post ACL surgery, I also have a training process to help me navigate through professional obstacles and emotions. Here are a few techniques to prepare us for what’s now and what’s next:
1. Acknowledge and Understand Your Emotions. First, we need to start with being aware of our emotions. For me, as a former competitive D1 tennis player, feeling fear and doubt is not new. For you it may be confidence, pressure, anger, or anything else that stops you. For me, the quicker I am able to recognize and acknowledge how I am feeling, the sooner I can move through it, pivot, and tackle the tasks at hand.
Even the GOATs have to work through tough, hard moments. In a recent and timely 60 Minutes interview, tennis great Novak Djokovic shared how he handles his emotions in the heat of a match.
“Mental toughness is not a gift. It’s something I train with hard work. I might appear ‘locked in’ but trust me there is a storm inside. You have your doubts and fears…I don’t agree with the sports approach to just think positive thoughts, be optimistic, or think there’s no room for failure or doubts. [He continues to share…] The difference between the guys who are biggest champions and the ones who are struggling to get there is the ability to not stay in those emotions for too long. So, it’s short for me. I experience it, I acknowledge it, and then I am able to bounce back and reset.”
2. Reset and Refocus Your Mind and Energy. So, how do we move out of these challenging emotions quickly and reset our mind and energy? I believe you need to own how you feel, not judge it and then transition your mind and focus to where you want to spend time and energy. It is like doing “mental pushups.”
3. Leverage your strengths and put them to work. Like athletes, we all have top skills that define what we do best. My inside out forehand down the line was my go-to tennis shot. In social impact, building signature programs is my sweet spot. Pick an aspect of your social impact work that you want to strengthen and confidently put those skills to work. This could be a public/private partnership, a key program or even a global strategy you have been wanting to take to the next level. Now is the time to identify what you want to accomplish, put your strengths in action and rally the team members you need to score some wins.
4. Find something fresh and new you want to learn. One of the things I love most about our field is that it is a constant learning pasture. There are endless societal, technical and trending topics to learn and follow. Choose a social issue, policy arena, beneficiary segment, or business practice – it can be anything – and dive in with an open, curious mind. This exploration can spark new ideas and, in my experience, some fresh perspective that we all need to stay energized.
5. Try the art of journaling.Getting thoughts out of your head and onto paper is very powerful and freeing. As the world throws us more curveballs this year, new emotions will continue to surface – as they should. Capture your emotions and experiences either daily or weekly in a journal. I find it helpful to write down thoughts in “hot, warm, cool” categories.
- Hot: What is going well and has momentum in your work?
- Warm: Where is there room for improvement and a little struggle?
- Cool: What is super challenging, frustrating and not going well?
Be specific, share how you are feeling and why, and, if possible, explore solutions. It can be empowering to go back and read your thoughts, but often the approach of taking the time to reflect propels you forward.
Remember, the “training” activities shared above are about building mental strength for the long term.The best things to do right now are commit to training our minds to claim and process our emotions, learn how to move out of the tough moments as fast as we can, and find new paths to inspire our work. Also remember you are not alone on your social impact journey. Surround yourself with strong, empathetic, and supportive colleagues and coaches. And, as Djokovic would tell you, practice conscious breathing. It is a skill for a lifetime – one that can ground and help you through any challenge.