The good days take care of themselves
We all have good days and we all have not so good days – stuff happens. People you thought you could trust let you down; a deal you thought was in the bag doesn’t happen; a sickness bug flies around the office; the papers seem full of bad news (which they always are, by the way!)
I learned many years ago from the master of motivation, Richard Denny, that the good days take care of themselves; it’s the ‘bad’ days we sometimes need help with. If we let negative attitudes overwhelm us we risk losing sight of our goals and ambitions. We risk telling ourselves it’s not worth the effort.
How to cope with the ‘bad’ days
My favorite coping strategy for not so good days is SUMO (Shut Up Move On). SUMO isn’t as harsh as it sounds, there are plenty of helpful coping strategies to help you move on but nevertheless it’s a powerful message.
Shut Up encourages you to reflect on the past but not let the past define your future. Move On is asking you to look at the future and see the possibilities that lie ahead instead of being stuck in the perceived reality of your current circumstances.
SUMO offers ‘Hippo time’
SUMO offers ‘Hippo time’. A hippopotamus is known for wallowing, so Paul McGee, author of SUMO talks about human wallowing. Before people can move on they need time to wallow, to be left alone to dwell on things for a while. As human beings we are by nature emotional and a life without emotional ups and downs would be boring and bland. In order to move on you need to acknowledge the emotions you are feeling and then ask yourself the following questions to avoid wallowing for too long:
- Where is this issue on a scale of 1-10 (where 10 = death)
- How important will this be in six months’ time?
- Is my response appropriate and effective?
- How can I influence the situation?
- What can I learn from this?
- What will I do differently next time?
- What can I find that is positive in this situation?
We often don’t have the power to stop ‘stuff’ happening, we do have power over our attitude.
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David Tovey
David Tovey is a professional speaker, coach and author of 'Principled Selling' published by Kogan Page.
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