The highs and lows are a part of anyone’s life, from the world class athlete to a struggling actor, from a renowned business tycoon to the rat picker in the slums. Everyone has their share of rainbows and rainfall. This article is for the lows, the rainfall and the troughs.
When you’re fired from your job without any notice, when have had an accident, when someone has broken your heart, when the director who signed you for the big blockbuster backs out, when you’re feeling lost in life, when someone has taken you for a ride, when no investor is ready to fund in your idea, when you have fallen five times in the boxing ring, when the world comes crashing at you or so it seems like.
These are some of the best practices that have helped me ,
1: Reach out to the ‘right’ people for help:
You are not alone.
This is the most simplistic line that you will hear yet it is so profound. The moment you realize this you can reach out to the ‘right’ people for help. Just talking it OUT, half the battle is won. Another very big support is that there are other people who have gone through something similar or much worse, and when they share and advice from that perspective, it becomes a ray of hope.
There are many forums and meet-up groups that have dealt with the exact same problem or situation. Reach out to them, in my experience most people are very helpful to share their experiences and can empathize with what you are going through as they have been in your shoes before. There are also many good mentors and coaches. Find out the best in the area you need help and reach out!
2: Have a ritual - morning ritual, personal practice:
Have a few things that are non-negotiable even in the toughest times.
Taking care of your mental health, reducing stress and anxiety through mediation or journaling and your physical health exercise and diet are emotional health by spending time with friends and family is key. Most successful CEO’s have a morning ritual, create your own, something no matter what that keeps yourself mentally and physically strong.
This is what I focus on in peak performance coaching with my clients and have seen transformational results.
3: Know your finances:
Read, watch videos, go to workshops, hire the right people, go to workshops and seminars. Know everything about managing your finances, raising funds, and damage control for sunk in losses. Also know other sources of income other than your primary source. This is our biggest advantage in current days, we can do multiple things and have multiple sources of income.
Use financial targets as fuel, have a target maybe. Dream home, dream car and every day when you remind yourself what you want to do for yourself and your family. You automatically will work harder and be more innovative on how you can generate revenues. This is somewhere I have found most roadblocks in myself and my clients when it comes to mindset of finances.
Some thoughts as ‘money doesn’t grow on trees’, ‘making money is hard work’, and ‘managing finances are boring’, need to be questioned and re-programmed in our brains. We need to see proof of the otherwise. We need to consciously challenge the sub conscious thoughts we had growing up and let go of what’s not serving us.
Some of the ways we can start thinking is, ‘I have so much fun making money’, ‘If I have lost some investments let me see proof where I have made profits’. Show yourself how capable you have been in the past and don’t let one or two bad incidents get to your insecurities.
4: Take Baby Steps – One day at a time:
This is not the time for having marathon goals or going paranoid with an overachiever mentality. Don't set the bar so high that you are always disappointed; don't set the goal so low that you become complacent. It must be the right amount of push that we need at this time.
Have daily goals and just write down - what will make me today better and try and do those things. Even if it’s going for a walk, meditating for 15 mins, or learning a new skill.
Plan small and be kind to yourself.
5: Look for the Collateral Beauty:
Every dark cloud has a silver lining. Every tough situation has something to offer. If one door is shut there are many that open, only if we have the eye to look for it. Maybe you lost your safe job cause now you can work on your dream project
As difficult as it may seem, be a scavenger hunter in your own life, look for the hidden treasures. Probably the best time to start a gratitude journal.
6: Accept the bumps and blocks:
We live in a volatile and uncertain world. There will be days when things don’t go your way, there will be times when you put in your 100% and things don’t move forward, there may be uncertainties or big hurdles thrown your way.
Accept that we live in an uncertain and volatile world, learn to navigate them, and then stay on track.
7: If you have fallen ten times, time to get up for the eleventh:
Every great inventor, successful businessman and first-class athlete knows this.
You only fail when you quit, and if you don't quit you can never fail. Don't let a small blip define who you are. In fact, don't even let mountains shake you. The only difference between someone who is good and great is the number of times the person bounced back up
8: Inspired by success and extraordinary people:
When you listen to a podcast of broke person who is now running a multi-million-dollar business or a homeless person who is now a world class singer or author, you instantly give a message to your brain if they can do this why not me?
Read, listen, watch videos, and consume as much success and failure stories of how they bounced back, I would like to leave you with a thought. The days when you don’t feel like showing up to the gym, to that business meeting or showing up for your family, are the days when you need to show up the most!
It's the little things that add up to big victories. Consistency is the key and there are not shortcuts to success. You either have the pain of the discipline, or the pain of the regret - what would you rather choose?