Confidence – Needs – Resilience

by | Aug 9, 2021

Before the pandemic, like most, I was in a comfort bubble.  I knew what to expect – I knew where I could travel – I knew how to keep myself well – I could plan and think ahead with relative certainty.  I didn’t know how much of a steady bubble I was floating around in, until now, reflecting over the last 18 months.

And now here we are…are we heading back to the comfort bubble?  Well, it’s not quite freedom-day as suggested by BoJo and whilst hoping for a brighter future, to me there is still much uncertainty. I get the impression that for many, like me, the last 18 months has taken a toll on confidence, personal and business resilience.

When self-esteem takes a battering, it leaves an element of fear:

  • Fear that the boredom of lockdown will have turned us into boring people.
  • Fear that you are de-skilled after being out of the face-to-face workplace for some time.
  • Fear generally about life and what it’s all about.

That has set me thinking about belief in oneself, our skills, abilities and motivation. We need the confidence to sustain us at work whether we are self-employed or salaried.  We need to know that what we are doing is worthwhile and valued and we need to have some routine.  Need. Need. Need.

Remember Maslow’s hierarchy of needs? He suggests basic, psychological and self-fulfilment needs.  It doesn’t hurt to re-visit our needs to re-discover self and business resilience.

So, as we move into a brave new ‘blended’ world, my musings on our top 3 needs:

 

Practical Needs

The need to take care of yourself on a personal level. Exercise, personal grooming, ironed clothes, showered and fragrant body. I think it’s about setting a routine; I’m often straight in front of a computer first thing, then lo and behold it is lunch time and I’m still in PJs.

I think personal routine can help boost your self-esteem and that includes regular exercise and/or stretching breaks built into your day.  You would have done that at work by just walking to the coffee bar or to chat to a colleague.  

Finally, haircuts – don’t you feel better with a haircut?  Bizarrely I have found that I do and I haven’t got much to hair be worried about. 

Accomplishment Needs

Has the lethargy of lockdown (good book title) left you feeling depleted? I have found the act of completing something significant on your to-do list, probably something that I have put off for a while, like my accounts (VAT…aaah), can’t be underestimated. My wife is a list maker, and she definitely finds that ticking tasks off that list, however tiny the task, is really motivating.  I’m going to give the list thing a go.

Creative Needs

Creativity nourishes and fulfils.  Have any of you found a new love? Gardening (the queues in B&Q would suggest so), cooking, knitting, crosswords, jigsaws, writing, painting, sewing, colouring, drawing?  Music is my creative boost.  I’m loud and enthusiastic rather than talented.  I’ve missed playing live but woohoo over the next few months I’ve got a few gigs coming up.  That’s a buzz.

My wife is a professional artist, so we have creativity in the house all the time.  I would urge you to follow your creative urge. Let a creative side lead you. Allowing yourself to be creative in whatever form, can help build your self-esteem from the inside out.

Man at night with arms in air