What are you doing this weekend?

Are you feeling the pressure? We're headed toward the end of the year, kids are back at school and there is a sense of normalcy returning from the global pandemic. Yet... are you feeling a tad empty or burnt out?

As we push harder and harder every day, adapting to the rapid changes around us and trying to help our clients and prospects navigate the uncertainty, there is a natural tendency to become robotic and focus on the tasks at hand. While this can serve you well to "get things done," it can also kill creativity and steal the joy and passion from your work.

In recent conversations with leaders and sellers, there is a sense of commitment to the job, the career, the client and the goal, but there is also something missing. The good news is the answer to getting the passion, creativity, joy or fulfillment back could be as simple as listening to your radio. Not for prospecting, but for the sheer enjoyment of the music. You could also attend a local art show, or go to a museum.

Science fiction author Ursula K. Le Guin discusses how art opens our eyes, ears and souls to the real world:

"The daily routine of most adults is so heavy and artificial that we are closed off to much of the world. We have to do this in order to get our work done. I think one purpose of art is to get us out of those routines. When we hear music or poetry or stories, the world opens up again. We're drawn in — or out — and the windows of our perception are cleansed. The same thing can happen when we're around young children or adults who have unlearned those habits of shutting the world out."

Attend a concert, go to an art gallery, read or listen to poetry. To me, the key is to do something different from what you normally would be doing. Different experiences bring different perceptions and as Le Guin says, "opens your world up again."

Feeling stressed, burnt out or unfulfilled? Break from your normal routine and do something different this weekend.

Happy Friday!

Jeff Schmidt is the SVP of Professional Development. You can reach him at Jeff.Schmidt@RAB.com. You can also connect with him on Twitter and LinkedIn.