I ran into a couple of delays…
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What do you do when you run into a delay? Maybe you’ve been looking forward to hitting a project milestone and it gets pushed out. Or time you’ve scheduled with a friend or loved one gets canceled. How do you feel? How do you react? This is a moment where self-sabotaging thoughts and negative emotions can grab us if we’re not aware of it.
Likely, you’ve been in the same boat. Unexpected delays cause a sense of disappointment, frustration, or maybe even anger or blaming. We waste more time and emotional energy than the situation warranted. This is natural! Don’t beat yourself up if you feel this way. And don’t let those negative emotions stick around for more than a few seconds! That would be like keeping your hand on the hot stove after you realize you are getting burned. Instead, you can consciously adopt the Sage perspective that any circumstance can offer you a gift or opportunity. (See my previous article on using confirmation bias to achieve positive outcomes.) For example, I was looking forward to launching my “Circuit Breakers” podcast in January. I had completed two of my interviews with regional tech business leaders, loaded them up to my editor’s site, and told the people I interviewed that their interviews would be up at the end of the next week. But my video editor took two weeks to do the edits and then another week to get approval on them from my marketing partner. And an image that I needed to set up the podcast in YouTube wasn’t done until I realized it needed to be a square rather than a banner. This delayed the scheduling of more podcast interviews as we sorted out the process and editing details. I was puzzled, then disappointed, and then frustrated by the delays. But I did PQ reps to quiet my Saboteur thoughts and (grudgingly) decided to look for the gift or opportunity in this situation as it developed. My podcast launch ended up being delayed by a total of six weeks. “Where’s the gift in that?” you might ask. There are several! One is that I have more time to get comfortable with my interviewing technique. After seeing my first recorded interview, I realized I was putting WAY too much nervous excitement into it. I was trying too hard, and it showed. (And I’m not a person who usually gives off an “excitable” vibe.) Now that I have feedback I can tone that down. Another is that I have a story to share with you here in this newsletter! I realized that others might also benefit from a way to handle delays and disappointments. It goes back to the saying, “When life gives you lemons, make lemonade.” I can find other gifts just by thinking about it with the Positive Intelligence lens turned on. Try doing the same thing the next time you run into a delay or disappointment. Recover quickly. More than anything else, mental fitness helps you spring back to positive thoughts and actions when you encounter difficulties. It can be very helpful. I’ve got Positive Intelligence® classes forming up for March and April. Hit reply to talk with me about getting into one of those classes. I also offer free 30-minute demo classes if you are curious. Please contact me to schedule one for you or someone you think would benefit. Wishing you gifts and opportunities (without the delays), |
