Remember that moment when you had your heart set towards something and then the unexpected happened?
Perhaps it was that expense that suddenly emerged out of nowhere.
Or maybe it was a business partner that decided to opt out of your new entrepreneurial endeavor.
Either way, there’s one thing that we can all relate to when it comes to this experience and that’s the unpleasant, often painful, emotions associated with it.
So what do we do? How do we cope? Or better yet, how do we overcome these emotions in order to reorient ourselves properly?
The key to change is acceptance and adaptability. Without the willingness to accept reality for what it is we will continue to suffer unnecessarily. Does this mean we approve of what happened? Not at all, but we must be willing to realize this is the reality of the situation. What’s done is done.
The Pareto principle, also known as the 80/20 rule is a great principle to go by when it comes to this. Take 20% of your time acknowledging the issuing at hand, determining what there is to learn from the situation, and then immediately reorient 80% of your time to focusing on the solution.
Every time you find your mind ruminating on the thoughts of what had happened, immediately start considering the solution and focusing on the progress that’s been made. Will this make you feel better immediately? It can, but it’s likely you’ll find yourself slowly, but surely finding yourself moving towards a place of progress and growth. In time, just like with any challenge we face, it will see it’s way far behind you, and you’ll be all the better for it.
Consider a tree that gets struck by lightening. Part of the tree is damaged, maybe some large branches are completely severed from the trunk. The tree doesn’t concern itself with the pain it’s experienced from the unexpected, but rather immediately begins the process of repair and growth. It reorients itself towards the Sun.
We have some major advantages over plants in this regard, but the idea is the same. You’re hit from the unexpected. We can learn from the occurrence to see how we can prevent it from happening again, mitigate the damages, and grow from the experience. Then we reorient ourselves towards the goal.
If you’re struggling with reorienting yourself, then it’s time to get the clarity you need to move forward again. Reach out to me at iamchrisgoode@gmail.com and we can discuss how to take the next steps to move from stuck, stressed, or overwhelmed into the clarity and confidence you need to perform at your best so you can get the results you want out of business and life.