It’s Dog-Eat-Dog Out There – Be Hungry

I loved the books and, so far, both movies in the Hunger Games Trilogy. 

 

The story is called The Hunger Games because everyone in the “district” is starving. They ask for more food in exchange for entering their name in for the reaping. The more requests, the more times your name is in the hopper to go to the arena and fight to the death.

 

The story involves a uniquely interesting plot and a heroine that knows herself and plays her game the best she can. She counts on the skills she knows best to forward her success, but she learns new skills on the way. She is stern, realistic, focused and hungry for success.

 

Yes, I like to think of the title – Hunger Games – as a portrayal of the heroine’s hunger for life and for what is right.  She teaches us that to achieve our goals, we must stay hungry. Let courage of conviction and a strong sense of self, feed your mind and focus your path.

Get a mentor

While you are in the middle of fighting for survival (okay…maybe a little dramatic), your mentor can see the global situation from an outside perspective. Your mentor can guide you by seeing the situation from a different view.  Don’t try to go it alone. As a busy professional, you may be too close to particular issues to always see what needs to be done to ensure long-term success. Getting an outside, and honest perspective, about your position from a sincere mentor—someone who’s been in the business for a while—is extremely beneficial. Mentors can help focus your strengths, recall past mistakes that they made so you won’t and provide lessons learned from past experiences.

Know your purpose

You may get tired of hearing your senior leaders talking about mission and visions. But, without a distinct purpose you will lose your way.   To ultimately succeed, you must stay hungry – motivated.  And, leaders -- you must motivate your team, even when the arena is very challenging.  Without a common purpose and relevant goals, chances are you will become discouraged before you reach the light at the end of the dome.

Ask yourself, “Why do I want to succeed? Why did I take this position? Do I matter in the overall purpose of my organization? Do I contribute to my full potential? Am I important to my team?  Do I make a difference?” The answers to these questions are going to take you the distance when the going gets tough.

Know your strengths.

The heroine or the Hunger Games knows her strengths. She is a gifted hunter – an archer like no other. In your role, play to your talents and interests. What particular talent do you have that puts you ahead of the competition in experience and know-how? Unleash your talent and you will survive.

Play your game

You have to play your own game, take risks, try something new and work hard.  If you follow the safe, worn path that everyone else has traveled down, there’s little hope that your performance will stand out from the crowd. If there’s something unique about yourself, don’t tie it down—unleash it. Take a stand, and above all else -- don’t settle for mediocrity.

Finally, to survive and thrive in your role, just like the teenager, fictional heroine in the Hunger Games does, try these simple strategies:

• work hard
• work smart
• do not give up
• follow your heart even when the going gets tough