Exit a Funk and Sieze the Day

I am not in a funk now but I was back in February 2009 when I wrote this. It is one of my posts that (surprisingly) resonated with readers much more than I had expected. If the high of the new year is fading away, here's a little kick in the pants for you to take that first step towards a resolution, a goal, or a change.

I've been in a little bit of a funk lately.

Nothing dramatic, just a little restlessness. I am not exercising like I was. I am tired of my hair, glasses, and clothes. I want to move my department forward quicker, connect with others more, and do something different with my blog. The family is always on the run and we have little time to just be - together.

This is not my first funk and it will not be my last. I have been in and out of enough funks to consider myself somewhat proficient in funk navigation.

Would you believe that I find myself welcoming the funk? Each funk should come with a big sign, learning opportunity up ahead, because I learn something about myself and my choices each and ever time. After I make a change, it seems I can't imagine ever going back to the way it was before.

Entering a Funk

A funk is not generally an overall positive experience. A funk can bring you down, cause you to question your competence, sap your confidence, or blur your vision.

You may notice that you are working longer but not accomplishing more, fighting harder to hold your ground, finding fault with others or questioning the value of what you are doing. You may begin to take business decisions personally or blame all of your woes on another person. You may sulk. You may cry. Your fight or flight response may kick in to high gear and you may begin developing your exit (read: avoidance) strategy.

You may inadvertently let a funk control you.The longer you stay in a funk, the harder it is to get out. Do what you must for 48 hours and then stop. Stop sulking, stop blaming others, stop questioning your competence, stop being your own worst critic, stop minimizing your contributions, and stop letting the funk control you.

Exiting a Funk

You control the funk! A funk is not going to go away on its own so exiting a funk is up to you. How do you exit a funk? I haven't heard it said any better than in this recent Twitter update from Chris Brogan.

chrisbrogan I never exit a funk without a renewed battle plan.

So, repeat after me, "how do you exit your funk? With a battle plan!"A funk is my sign that I am letting fear take control and either not taking responsibility for something I should be taking responsibility for or, conversely, avoiding something I should be addressing.

What is your funk telling you? Quiet the ego, open your eyes and look no further than yourself for the answers. Talk to a coach, friend or trusted colleague.

• Avoiding a difficult conversation? Have it.
• Living beyond your means? See a financial planner.
• Want to improve your writing? Send your posts off for a critique.
• Not happy with you weight or fitness level? Hire a personal trainer.
• Looking for career enhancement? Find a mentor or enroll in some courses.

Being Brave

Developing a battle plan is not as easy as I made it sound above. In fact, it can be very difficult. Working your way through a funk can be much like driving in a storm yet there is something for you on the other side if you take responsibility, stay with it, and keep moving forward.

It is only a matter of time before you find yourself in a funk. When you do, seize control, make a change, and above all, be brave.

Quests, Calm and a Bowl of Cherries

Life is like . . . . (fill in the blanks). Throw in the words "around the holidays" and the analogy of choice moves a few decibels up the stress scale.

Wouldn't it be grand if we could attain a certain level of fitness and never fall below the baseline. And what if we could apply that to performance, creativity and relationships?  Someone somewhere probably said the beauty and the value is in the trying (and succeeding). 

Pshaw, I'll trade a little value and a little less learning for a little bit of inner calm.

I am so not cut out to meditate. I'm fidgety, a compulsive list-maker, and so fearful of finding myself unoccupied that I shove a book in my bag even on ATM runs.

This is me, but I didn't write it. It was written by Alexandra Postman, Editor in Chief, Whole Living in her Openings column this month. I say "this month" like this is a magazine I read every month but I picked it up for the first time when this month's cover story, "Find Instant Calm," caught my attention.

So much of my day, I face more competition for my attention than I have time to give. There are things that are going well, there are things that are not and then there are just things. There is not a lot of calm.

I am on a quest for calm.

I am not the first person to be facing too much of this and too little of that - especially around the holidays - and this isn't the first time I've been here myself. I've exited funks, nipped and tucked my social media efforts and then I nipped some more. My life's been out of control and I've brought in back under control. 

I am sharing company with some of the finest. Just over the past few days, Chris Brogan shared what works for him on how to say no  and a guest writer on MichaelHyatt.com offered advice on how to clear your desk, clear your mind. Leanne Chase is "on a quest for flexibility in a rigid world" at Connecting Career and Life and I wouldn't have to look far to find more of the same.

We are one bunch of silly (rockin') people, aren't we?

So, what is life like? Some days it's a bowl of cherries, some days it's the pits and always, it's about the relationships between the cherries. And, I've been letting my relationships with the most important cherries in my life slide.

Some things are going to stay on my priority list moving into the holidays and the new year - and some things are not. Here's what's staying: my husband, my daughter, my family and friends, my health, my fitness, and my writing.

Everything else is up for grabs.

Will this be my answer to instant calm? I don't know (hence, the quest) but I am going to give it a try. If it is, I'll market it, sell it, make a million and retire to a villa in Southern Italy . . . ah, now there's the instant calm!

So, tell me, what are you doing to minimize the noise and find your focus?