I remember when I first got promoted to the People Manager role my mentor took me for a walk and told "Bugger, now you have lost the right to complain."
To me it meant, you can't feel defeated and will have to constantly keep doing the right thing inspite of the tough situations. And more so being part of the solution and not just be part of the problem.
In the years gone by, I have tried to ingrain this in my approach. I have failed many times. I have succeeded the other times.
To this day, when I feel low about something at work, I go back to focusing on the simple things.
This week I did two things when I faced a similar situation when I felt I might be failing and didn't want to:
I read my favourite book - Jonathan Livingston Seagull which I picked up at the airport. This one was a complete edition which included part 4 that I hadn't read. But re-reading the extraordinary story of staying focused on getting better and better and not worrying about other trivial things was important and frankly quite helpful.
I read the below list to remind me of simple things which need not be forgotten and especially remembered when the shoulders are dropping.
It really helped. And this is one of those times I succeeded. Leading a team by being positive yet realistic is critical at any moment. Focusing on simple things helps being vulnerable and authentic. Two of my favourite traits.