Would you believe that decorating your office, could actually boost motivation?
I taped it to my office door, to help others
In a pivotal client meeting, a graphic that I had created, helped them navigate an issue and make a strong decision. The next day I picked up my copy of the graphic, and rather than put it in a file folder, it occurred to me to hang it up. I thought others could potential benefit from the graphic, and displaying it could help spread the word that it existed. So I taped it to my office door. Gradually I added a few more things developing a kind of notice board for template upgrades and new visuals.
One day, I went to hang up my latest ‘cool tool’, but there wasn’t enough space. To choose what to remove, I stepped back to take in the whole door, and that’s when I truly saw what I’d really been doing. I was exploring what I was most proud of – and displaying it to myself. Here was a personal daily, visual reminder to me of my genuinely motivated self.
How it actually helped me!
Rarely did anyone actually ask me about anything on the door. Sometimes I could draw attention to something posted there, as an inspiration or a teaching example. Its real benefit was in helping me become more attuned to what sparks pride in me. That then helped me better notice and nurture those sparks in others.
I developed our team meetings to be a space where anyone could share something they were proud of. We celebrated each other for a wide range of things – for creating something; improving something; impacting something; or realizing something. They’d get support and high fives, but also the reinforcement of having recognized a sense of pride and motivation in themselves.
Exercise for your motivation muscle
- Every day this week, write down something that you are proud of yourself for.
- It could be for getting through something as much as for accomplishing something;
- And it could be about how someone else reacted as much as how you reacted
- At the end of the week,
- notice how you feel reviewing the full list
- and consider sharing it with someone else.
