Russ Dalbey's Blog

Today’s Monday. The first day of the work week for most people (although, self-employed entrepreneurs can usually make their own schedules). So how did your Monday go?

Mine could have been better. It’s been very hard to accomplish anything today – every time I tried to get going on an important task, I was interrupted and derailed with something small but pressing. And unfortunately, some things I thought were wrapped up last week seem to have unraveled.

I write so often about being inspired, about being and staying positive, that I sometimes forget the flip side of the coin. The occasional, really bad day.

We all have them: those days where nothing seems to go right, or when it’s hard to remember the motivation for what you’re doing. Sometimes, you might feel like throwing in the towel and calling it quits. I’ve been there.

And, the fact is that it is different for those of you who are on your own. It’s one thing to have a bad day and have things go wrong when you work for a big corporation.  But, when a self-employed entrepreneur has a bad day – a payment check doesn’t arrive as expected, for example – that can be really damaging. And, if you work for yourself, you might not have any co-workers to turn to for support.

Here are some tips that I hope will get you through those occasional dark days:

1. Be a fighter. What I mean by that is to maintain a mental attitude of strength. Tell yourself, “I can get through this. There is NO WAY I’m going to let this get me down and stop me!” Remember: it’s just one bad day. Tomorrow is completely different, and a brand new opportunity.

2. Allow yourself to feel frustrated and angry… but only for a short time. Be frustrated, vent, let it out; then start to solve the problem. It’s hard to get to a solution – and hard to stay positive – when your feelings of frustration or worry are all-consuming.  Go ahead and feel these emotions and acknowledge them because they are real, but at a certain point, you need to move on.

3. Reach out to get support. Call your mentor or coach, or at least talk to your family or a friend. I find that having someone to talk to “cools” me off so I can gain perspective and move forward rather than getting stuck in a “poor me” mode.

4. Take a breather. Get outside and exercise. Take a drive, run an errand, or go to lunch. Take a shower if you’re at home. Do SOMETHING to get out of the cycle of negative thinking.  Afterwards, you’re likely to feel recharged, better able to organize your thinking and to solve the problems at hand.

5. Relax and laugh! After you’ve taken a step back and gained some perspective on a bad day, try and look at the funny, lighter side of it.

6. Learn from your bad day. As awful as it might seem right now, every difficult experience is actually an opportunity to grow.

The fact is that EVERYBODY – even the smartest, most successful business leader out there – has a bad day now and again. It’s how you deal with it and what you take away from the experience that makes the difference.

Later, when the next “bad day” hits – and it will – you’ll have the confidence to say, “Hey, I’ve had bad days before and I’ve survived… I’ll get through this one, too.” And, I know you will.

Warmly,
Russ

Founder of Winning in the Cash Flow Business
Dalbey Education Institute 

Founder of Winning in the Cash Flow Business