Tuesday, November 20, 2007

Fake it 'till you make it!

Some days I am so tired I can't imagine spending another 10 minutes playing with my kids, let alone the rest of the day. Often, I find that if I just start jumping around a lot, singing really loudly, or otherwise engaging with them in an overly energetic state, I actually build up enough energy to get myself through the day.

This also works in meetings. As corporations host more and more all day and multi-day meetings, getting through the day is becoming a big deal. And as an outside consultant, it often falls on me to facilitate all day events. If I pretend that I have more energy than I do, I can often help raise the energy level of the whole room. And if I pretend I'm trying to keep my 2 year old kids engaged, I can often keep up the energy I need to keep a roomful of adults engaged.