The Funk to The Spark

I was sitting in a client board room, on the 4th day in a row during the 6th hour of a 8 hour JAD meeting and Something occurred to me that may or may not be a common thing. I didn't want to be there right then. And then I realized... I had entered what I like to call "The Funk".

If I may attempt to describe "The Funk" I will also have to describe its corresponding emotion that I'd like to call "The Spark". "The Spark" shall always follow "The Funk", in fact one of the ways I recognize that I am in "The Funk" is my immediate desire to find "The Spark". Because "The Spark" is what will instantly break me out of "The Funk".

Did you get all that?

I shall have to come back to this definition, because at the moment I'd like you to Imagine the situation of me sitting in a customer/client meeting. And not only do I have to physically be here- I have to be "client-facing" there as well.

So there is an immediate need to find "The Spark" to bring me out of "The Funk" before I blow my status of being a fantastic knowledge warrior who is leading these customers out of their paper trail misery and into the glorious world of PRPC technical bliss.

I've had these infamous bouts with "The Funk" in my life before, but now I am a consultant. And the battle of the Funk clearly needs a new game plan. Because "The Sparks" I relied on during my previous life as a cube dweller are no longer going to work.

I have been reliant on some Sparks that just will not work when face to face with clients. Such as doing cube pushups or venting to a closeby coWorker/friend about how I just spent over an hour in a meeting discussing if a taskbar should be Green or Blue (as though those two colors are so different from each other) and I'm sure bringing my stress popping Martian [purchase here: http://www.officeplayground.com/poppingmartian.html] and squeezing him throughout an onsite day would not be prudent.

I decided to take the issue up with my usual sounding board of friends and family. I explained "The Funk" and "The Spark" to them. And added that sometimes "The Spark" is a good nights rest, or an hour + of exercise, other times a Starbucks latte brings back my beloved spark. But what about when you cant slip away for these things? What can you think about or do within an unnoticeable instant to bring yourself back to life?

I'd like to paraphrase and share some of their thoughtful and sometimes comical feedback:

Cling to those moments:
A suggestion to take some time prior to these "Funk" occasions and collect a list of memories where your mood was soaring or inspired. Perhaps a memory of a personal success in the area you're facing.

And it doesn't have to necessarily be memories of yourself handling previous situations. They can be moments of admiration or funny moments that always make you smile. My personal list includes everything from victorious scenes in movies to recollections of how other KR folks handle situations in ways I wish to handle them. So when u encounter these moments, you just file them into your memory list for future "Funk" battles.

You're just a dude playing a dude disguised as another dude:
One of my more creative friends suggested pretending I was an actor in a movie- which lead to the suggestion of pretending to be an undercover spy for the CIA.

I know you can't help but smile at that one. She is not in a client facing job at all- but she compared the situation to being on the way to a wedding or reunion of sorts. And something occurs that completely fouls her mood. She loses the good mood of delight, and anticipation at doing something she would otherwise enjoy.

Then she asked: How do you snap your self out of a mood? A terribly horrible bad mood?

Which If I may return back to the definition above Is probably another very good explanation of "The Funk"


You mean I'm not the only person in the world?
Another friend suggested removing the selfish factor. The reason you're in "The Funk" and removed from enjoying the full potential of the situation is ultimately selfish. You're angry at the situation, or tired, or of all the places in the world you want to be right now this meeting is the last place. But all these reasons are selfish- because they can be ignored or bypassed by only you. For the time will soon come when you can be selfish, but right now there are other people who are relying on you and need you to break out of "The Funk".

Make it a competition:
This I whole heartedly agree with. Being competitive in nature- I find that while the path that holds the most challenges is usually the most interesting path to follow, it is also the path I prefer because it shall always keep my interest.
So whether you make a goal to take more than 100+ pictures at the wedding or to collect 100 business cards at a convention. Making the situation competitive can bring the spark back into your work.



Ultimately my search shall continue. And because I'm sure other KR warriors have their own ways to ignite 'The Spark' or even mechanisms they use to avoid even entering into "The Funk" I think this may be a good topic in an upcoming brown bag session. If you would like to share your ideas or hear some others please join us on FEB 13th for a Lunchtime Brown Bag session!