Recently I saw an Harvard Business Review article called “How to Turn Around a Bad Day.” I’m a pretty positive person, but I have my bad days, so I thought I would check out the article. You can see it here.
The article is quite lengthy, but it boils down to three simple do’s and don’ts:
Do:
- Keep in mind the things in your life for which you are grateful.
- Keep your accomplishments — no matter how minor — in mind.
- Figure out what triggers a bad day for you, and how to deal with those triggers.
Don’t:
- Be a victim. You get to choose whether you are positive or negative.
- Hunker down at your desk. A change of scenery can help.
- Set unrealistic expectations for your day or yourself.
I especially like the point about not being a victim. I always remind members of my career mentoring site that stuff happens, and what happens isn’t anywhere near as important as how you choose to react to it.
I once met a Navajo Medicine Man. We got into a conversation about spirituality. He made a point that I’ll never forget. He said something like that in a drought the white man prays for rain while the Navajo prays for the ability to live in harmony with the drought.
Now that makes sense! We can hardly ever change what happens, but we can change how we react to it. I’m not suggesting that you throw up your hands when bad things happen and say, “Oh well, there’s nothing I can do about it.” I am suggesting that you make your peace with the bad things that happen and figure out what you can do to make things better.
This is especially true when it comes to the little irritations we all face every day. Find a way to live in harmony with them. As the old prayer goes, “God grant me the serenity to accept the things I cannot change, courage to change the things I can and the wisdom to know the difference.”
Your career mentor,
Bud
PS: I write this blog to help people create the life and career success they want and deserve. Now I’m going one step further. I’ve created a membership site in which I’ve pulled together my best thoughts on success. And, as a reader of this blog, you can become a member for free. Just go to https://budbilanich.com/join to claim your free membership. You’ll be joining a vibrant and growing community of success minded professionals. I hope to see you there.
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