Outdoor Retailer - December 2020 - 18

THE PULSE

Don't Get Overwhelmed

The holiday crush is on. Check out these tips to stay calm even when
the stakes are so high right now. by Jordan Martindell
RETAILERS ARE WORKING OVERTIME, WEARing too many hats, and doing their very best to
keep afloat in these uncertain times. So it may
seem counterintuitive to turn your focus away
from the business right now, but that might
just be exactly what is needed. A boss once said
to me, " If you're not inspired, you are not inspiring. And if you're not inspiring, you are not
inspired. " At the time, I was managing a team
of 100-plus retail employees and the spring
moves were right around the corner. Maybe it
was the winter doldrums getting me down, or
maybe I was overwhelmed with my to-do list,
but something was lacking in my ability to be
the leader I needed (and wanted) to be. Before
this exchange, I had relied on external factors
to keep me inspired, but after this moment,
I fully realized my personal responsibility in
staying inspired for myself and for my team.
So what exactly does inspiration look like in
the middle of a pandemic when your business
could quite literally be on the line? Here are
our go-to suggestions:
READ BOOKS
Whatever your guilty pleasure is in the book
space, indulge. Whether you are a Malcolm
Gladwell junkie, closet political nerd, or just
love a good fluffy novel, reading is one of the
most powerful things we can do for ourselves
right now. It is almost impossible to multitask
when reading, and the simple act of focusing on
simple words that inspire can have a huge impact on how we feel inside. I am not sure there is
anything more luxurious than finishing a novel
at 2 a.m. because you'd hit the point in a book
where you simply couldn't put it down.
LISTEN TO PODCASTS
Podcasts are a great way to incorporate inspiration while doing other things. While reading
can't be done while multitasking, podcasting

18 OUTDOOR RETAILER

/ December 2020

absolutely can. Listening to a podcast while
hiking, driving, or even cooking dinner can
provide the brief jolt of inspiration that might
just get you through the next day or week.

RECONNECT WITH OLD FRIENDS
Talking on the phone has become more en
vogue than it used to be with this pandemic.
Calling someone on the phone is like the new
hugging. The urge to connect more deeply and
share successes and challenges is a great way
to let off steam with people who you don't see
every day. Getting someone's perspective on
an ongoing challenge or hearing how someone else is coping can often lead to new ideas,
which inevitably leads to new inspiration.
FIND WHAT MAKES YOU TICK
While many of the ideas shared are a great
starting point to reinvigorate your well of inspiration, you know yourself best, so find what
works for you. What is resonating with you
after reading this article? Take a minute and
daydream... What comes to mind?

When we feed our souls-and not our
outdoor-loving-this-is-why-I-went-into-thisbusiness souls, but the ones who were, once
upon a time, English buffs or actors or dancers or musicians or artists or ultramarathoners or video-gamers or poets or stay-at-home
parents-we become inspired on a totally
different level, and that allows us to truly take
a break from the grind and our worries, reconnect with who we once were, and then fully
show up for ourselves and our teams.
So when it is the 10th hour of your day and
you are exhausted, instead of falling asleep
pouring over your books or reading that No. 1
bestseller on how to save your business, take
a real break: Throw a dance party with your
kids and really let loose; watch Hamilton on
Disney+; reread Of Mice and Men for the 16th
time; watch an online concert; go on a hike
without worrying about getting pictures for
your store's Instagram feed-do something
that will light you up from the inside, and remember who you are, in every perfect nook
and cranny of your tired, beleaguered, yes-Iwill-survive-this-pandemic self.
-Following a career in high-end retail
management, Jordan Martindell blends her
love of aesthetics and the outdoors. She has
written for Dorado, Elevation Outdoors,
Outdoor Retailer, SNEWS, rootsrated.com,
and offyonder.com. O.R.
KNOW YOURSELF
Find inspiration doing
what serves you best.

Adobe Stock

RETAIL 101

http://www.rootsrated.com http://www.offyonder.com

Outdoor Retailer - December 2020

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