A Fresh Perspective
The start of a New Year typically brings a renewed sense of hope. Fresh starts. Resolutions. Fortitude.
Collectively, we have been living through an extraordinary time. Pandemic. Strife. Injustice. Many of us have had to face insurmountable levels of burnout in our professional and personal lives.
For some, the start of 2022 may bring a sense of optimism and joy, but for others it is just another reminder that we have a long way to go both as individuals and thinking about the work of our organizations. The mission-driven work that we do daily helps the world to take positive steps towards health, well-being, peace, and justice. To do that work well, we must also find ways to ensure that, as individuals, we take our own steps towards these areas.
As you return to your workstation at the start of 2022, it is a good time to bring a fresh perspective into play. A fresh perspective is not forcing optimism, nor is it giving into pessimism. It is an opportunity for you to connect with yourself and your work each day.
In our YouTastic email, we are focusing on morning rituals and how those can set the tone for your day. For many in museums and nonprofits, many hats are a part of the job and days are full of surprises. To help start each day fresh, we encourage you to create a list of 2-4 questions to ask yourself – questions that will help to frame your day and tackle work that continues your organization’s mission.
Some examples include:
What is going to go well today?
What am I grateful for?
Who am I looking forward to interacting with?
What is the one task I want to accomplish today?
How can I make today a great day?
Perspective isn’t always about a positive response. Sometimes perspective can act as a catalyst to solve challenges. Using the questions above, you can answer using yourself, your work, or your wider organization. We’ve included some suggestions below – showing that gaining perspective may not always have a positive outcome, but it does help you to move forward.
What is going to go well today?
Self: I’m going to answer 5 emails I’ve been procrastinating on.
Organization: We’re going to finish up our Annual Fund thank you letters.
What am I grateful for?
Self: I played a role in hiring a new and talented staff member.
Organization: We ended 2021 exceeding our fundraising goals.
Who am I looking forward to interacting with?
Self: We have a virtual school group today. The kids ask great questions.
Organization: We are meeting with a contractor to plan our summer construction project.
What is the one task I want to accomplish today?
Self: I want to say something positive to a challenging colleague.
Organization: I want to let the board know that our goals for 2022 are going to be difficult to achieve.
How can I make today a great day?
Self: I am going to take lunch away from my desk
Organization: I am going to get a dozen donuts for my colleagues.