How to Handle "One of Those Days"
The day started out well. But then, things turned dark.
In a moment of realization, it dawned on me that I had just sent out the most poorly written email of my life. It reflected none of my training as an NLP-er, as a professional at working with persuasion and influence, not one iota of my understanding of the subconscious mind and human motivation.
Guess I'm human, too, huh?
You can do it, no matter what!
Now, this was a pretty big deal. Not as big a deal as a loved one being ill, or a major financial setback, or (ah-hem...) your candidate not winning the election. No. But it was a major communication for me and there are no do-overs once the "send" button is hit.
Ever have one of those days? Or years? Or...?
Now, there are two ways to deal with this, as I see it. Allow the self recrimination and negative feelings to thrash about inside of you like an angry fish in the bottom of the boat, and then start noticing everything else that's wrong with your day, your life, your self. "Feed the wrong wolf" as my husband would say.
Or, apply some good NLP (that's Neuro-Linguistic Programming) and remember there is "no such thing as failure, only feedback." Learn from your mistakes, do some analysis of what caused the error, put measures in place to do something different (hopefully better!) and therefore get different results in the future. This is the path I have chosen. It's not always easy. It requires some knowledge, and yes, some self discipline. The child within wants to sulk, perhaps, and focus on the negative.
I'm choosing to say (and feel!), "the fact that I recognized this means I can learn, and because I can learn I cam improve and change and do things better going forward! I CAN and I WILL master this area of my life."
Putting things in perspective, focusing on the positive, moving toward your motivation to do better are all part of the psychological element called Personal Resilience.
I am fascinated with resilience, and resilient people. There are a number of examples from history, and we can all, thankfully, learn from the examples of others.
For example, did you know:
- Bill Gates' first business failed?
- Albert Einstein didn't speak until he was four, and his teachers called him lazy?
- Jim Carrey used to be homeless, living out of a car?
- And Sir Richard Branson has dyslexia?
- Stephen King's first novel was rejected 30 times? (OMG, what if he'd given up?)
- Oprah gave birth at 14 and lost the child. She was also repeatedly molested by male relatives in her youth.
Kinda puts my crappy email in perspective, right? And that's the point. What have you been ruminating on or getting stuck on or stumbling over in your own life that seems less of an obstacle in comparison to these stories?
Most importantly, how can you become your own most inspirational story of courage and overcoming?
Hypnosis can help you become more resilient, and one of my newest releases, The Unbreakable Self: Becoming Resilient is a good companion to have along the way. My deepest wish is that you make your deepest wishes come true!
~Cindy Locher
