It's hard to find encouragement for obstacles that occur in life. Simply put, not everything is roses. Sometimes, sh*t just happens.
We all face crappy stuff. The car won’t start, we overslept, caught a cold, tripped on the steps… you name it. As a business owner, I encounter dozens of shi**y things all day. Clients who are unreasonable, technology that won’t cooperate, a contractor who dropped the ball, etc. But, we must keep swimming. Most importantly, we cannot let these mishaps dictate our lives. If you ever feel the weight of crappiness piling up, I’ve developed a strategy that can help. Here it goes.
Step 1. Vent! Human beings have a threshold for the amount of bullsh*t that occurs. We must, at some point, release the built-up frustration. Crappy events are like a balloon. If they pile up, without release, eventually the balloon will burst. POP! Before you know it, you just told the mailman off for no reason! Acknowledge that, whatever happened, sucked. Mourn for the event…then get over it. A caveat, though. Remember, misery loves company. Do not become “that” person by ranting constantly. And, do not get sucked into the rants of others.
Step 2. Determine the real source of the issue. Ever notice that bad luck seems to happen in spades? I bet you know a person who always seems to have some sort of drama in their life. It’s probably because they attract it. We may not want to admit this, but it’s worth considering that we could be the source of our own problems. In the business book, Traction, the author advises that company leaders hold a weekly meeting called a Level 10 meeting. A portion of that meeting is dedicated to what are called issues. The way to work through an issue is through a three-step formula called the IDS – Identify, Discuss, Solve. Identifying the issue is crucial. It’s also challenging to get to the heart of the real problem. Up to 80 percent of the IDS could be spent on identifying the issue. If you can uncover it, though, you’re on the right track to solve more than you think. Quick tip: with every mishap, ask why it occurred. Then ask why after that. Keeping asking why until you have the answer.
Step 3. Determine what needs to change. Yes, sometimes sh*t happens and there really is no solution. But for those of us who can admit that a deeper issue may be at play, we need to address it and plan to change it. This won’t happen overnight. Take the first step by doing something different. If you can keep taking baby steps, you will start to develop new habits. This will require you to get real with yourself. We have the power to change most of the circumstances in our life, if we are strong enough to face them.
It’s OK to Get REAL.
