Don’t Get Overwhelmed
By Jordan Martindell
Retailers are working overtime, wearing too many hats, and doing their very best to keep afloat in these uncertain times. So it may seem counterintuitive to turn your focus away from the business right now, but that might just be exactly what is needed. A boss once said to me, “If you’re not inspired, you are not inspiring. And if you’re not inspiring, you are not inspired.” At the time, I was managing a team of 100-plus retail employees and the spring moves were right around the corner. Maybe it was the winter doldrums getting me down, or maybe I was overwhelmed with my to-do list, but something was lacking in my ability to be the leader I needed (and wanted) to be. Before this exchange, I had relied on external factors to keep me inspired, but after this moment, I fully realized my personal responsibility in staying inspired for myself and for my team.
So what exactly does inspiration look like in the middle of a pandemic when your business could quite literally be on the line? Here are our go-to suggestions:
READ BOOKS
Whatever your guilty pleasure is in the book space, indulge. Whether you are a Malcolm Gladwell junkie, closet political nerd, or just love a good fluffy novel, reading is one of the most powerful things we can do for ourselves right now. It is almost impossible to multitask when reading, and the simple act of focusing on simple words that inspire can have a huge impact on how we feel inside. I am not sure there is anything more luxurious than finishing a novel at 2 a.m. because you’d hit the point in a book where you simply couldn’t put it down.
LISTEN TO PODCASTS
Podcasts are a great way to incorporate inspiration while doing other things. While reading can’t be done while multitasking, podcasting absolutely can. Listening to a podcast while hiking, driving, or even cooking dinner can provide the brief jolt of inspiration that might just get you through the next day or week.
RECONNECT WITH OLD FRIENDS
Talking on the phone has become more en vogue than it used to be with this pandemic. Calling someone on the phone is like the new hugging. The urge to connect more deeply and share successes and challenges is a great way to let off steam with people who you don’t see every day. Getting someone’s perspective on an ongoing challenge or hearing how someone else is coping can often lead to new ideas, which inevitably leads to new inspiration.
FIND WHAT MAKES YOU TICK
While many of the ideas shared are a great starting point to reinvigorate your well of inspiration, you know yourself best, so find what works for. you. What is resonating with you. after reading this article? Take a minute and. daydream… What comes to mind?
When we feed our souls—and not our outdoor-loving-this-is-why-I-went-into-thisbusiness souls, but the ones who were, once upon a time, English buffs or actors or dancers or. musicians or artists or ultramarathoners or video-gamers or poets or stay-at-home parents—we become inspired on a totally different level, and that allows us to truly take a break from the grind and our worries, reconnect with who we once were, and then fully show up for ourselves and our teams.
So when it is the 10th hour of your day and you are exhausted, instead of falling asleep pouring over your books or reading that No. 1 bestseller on how to save your business, take. a real break: Throw a dance party with your kids and really let loose; watch Hamilton on Disney+; reread Of Mice and Men for the 16th time; watch an online concert; go on a hike without worrying about getting pictures for your store’s Instagram feed—do something that will light you up from the inside, and remember who you are, in every perfect nook and cranny of your tired, beleaguered, yes-I-will-survive-this-pandemic self.
Following a career in high-end retail management, Jordan Martindell blends her love of aesthetics and the outdoors. She has written for Dorado, Elevation Outdoors, Outdoor Retailer, SNEWS, rootsrated.com, and offyonder.com.
Read The December 2020 Edition