Sloan's Inbox: Staying Positive Amidst Industry Drama

I've been struggling with that a lot. On here as well. I know you're just supposed to let bad attitudes and behavior slide off of you, but I'm really bad at it. As a result I feel more and more like I'm being dragged down into that same kind of behavior. It feels like I'm constantly navigating a thin line between defending myself and not becoming the toxic person that I'm supposedly fighting against. I would really like to get better at staying far away from that line...

Try to limit exposure to the crappy side and crappy people whenever possible, granted that's easier said than done! Find the cool and interesting projects to follow, neat news to read, etc.

Encountering egos, toxicity, and competitiveness is unfortunately common in many industries, but there are several effective ways to stay motivated and focused on the positive aspects:

1. Surround yourself with positive people: Seek out colleagues who share your values and are supportive of your goals. Connect with those who inspire and motivate you to keep going even when things get tough.

2. Focus on your goals and purpose: Remind yourself of why you entered the industry in the first place. What motivates you? What are your long-term goals? Keeping your focus on your purpose can help you stay motivated and focused on the positive aspects.

3. Celebrate small wins: Recognize and celebrate small accomplishments along the way. This can help you stay motivated and remind you of your progress.

4. Practice self-care: Taking care of yourself is essential for staying motivated and focused. Make time for exercise, sleep, and other activities that help you feel refreshed and energized.

5. Learn from challenges: Instead of seeing challenges as setbacks, view them as opportunities to learn and grow. Use them as a chance to refine your skills and develop new strategies for success.

6. Cultivate a growth mindset: Adopting a growth mindset can help you stay positive and focused on improving your skills and achieving your goals. Embrace challenges as opportunities to learn and grow, and view setbacks as temporary obstacles that can be overcome.

7. Take breaks: Remember to take regular breaks to recharge your energy and avoid burnout. Sometimes stepping away from work can help you gain new perspective and ideas.

Overall, staying motivated and focused on the positive aspects of the industry requires intentional effort and a mindset that embraces growth and resilience. By cultivating a supportive network, focusing on your goals and purpose, celebrating small wins, practicing self-care, learning from challenges, cultivating a growth mindset, and taking breaks, you can overcome egos, toxicity, and competitiveness and stay motivated in your industry.

For me lack of motivation isn’t the core issue, it’s a symptom of something else. Getting to know myself, trying to understand where my struggles are coming from without self-judgment helps a lot. I’ve developed a list of things I look for in a work environment or a project and a list of deal breakers. I’m trying to be honest and upfront about it and while it’s hard sometimes to have difficult conversations, there’s plenty of people who share my views and will listen to constructive criticism. I listen too and give myself time to get over embarrassment after receiving feedback and take it into consideration. But then again I leave places, projects and people that drain me constantly for a long period of time and are not willing to have a dialogue about it.
TL;DR Know your needs, be mindful of others and keep in mind that not everything is your fault.

I wish my inbox has emoji to indicate the emotion so I can prepare my mental state before opening them.

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We should focus on the positive aspects of our work and our industry. Surround ourselves with positive people who are supportive and encouraging.
We should take time to celebrate our accomplishments, no matter how small they may seem. This will help us to stay motivated and focused on our goals.

Use failures as learning opportunities and not as reasons to give up.

No matter your profession one thing never changes: some people just suck. No matter the industry there are always going to be egos, attitudes, etc. Seek out the people that you find to be worthy of your time. Worry about you and your work / your teams work alone. Accept that no matter what you will never escape human nature. If you have insecurities, concerns, etc do everything you can to address them. Let your work speak for itself and remember you are never the smartest person in the room and that everyone has something to teach and you always have something to learn. Changing perspective helps to handle these human defaults to a greater degree in my humble opinion.

I love this question! I try to abide by:

1. Set boundaries or take note when you are feeling overwhelmed, this may be an indication that something is becoming unproductive, unnecessarily negative, or just not as great as it can be.
2. Always assume everyone is doing their best, even if the tools that they are using are not the best tools to suit the occasion.
3. Always remind yourself you are doing the best that you can using the tools that you have. When you make a mistake, don't be afraid to find new tools!