Everyone has bad days, but it’s not a cue to quit. 

Bad days remind us of what we don’t want and underscore the desires that lie within. They remind us where we want to go and with whom, and what actions we need to take to get there. Put another way, we can use times like these to motivate us toward action when otherwise we might have left them in the wings. That’s why I state, a bad day isn’t a cue to quit. 

When a day feels tough, whilst it isn’t always easy, the best thing to do is to look forward. We have the choice to feel sorry for ourselves if we wish, or play the victim and self-deprecate, or we can choose a different way. 

If we choose, we can, instead, remove ourselves (physically and/or mentally) from our surroundings—if only for 15 minutes. We can take a walk, breathe deep breaths and change our physiology through movement. This may sound weird, but as we change our physiology, we are able to shift perspective and in turn, feel more gratitude for the life we know awaits. Eventually our mood lifts. 

Let’s look at an example: 

Sarah arrived at work to learn her colleague had taken a new job. And, because of cutbacks, her boss has no plan to replace her. 

Her boss calls her into his office. 
“Sarah, I assume you’ve heard that Holly is leaving? We’re sad to see her go, but with sales down, it’s a bit of a mixed blessing, so we’re hoping you’ll be able to help by taking on additional accounts. Do you think you could manage that? It would be great if you could.”

Sarah hates her job. She’s there because she needs the money; nothing more. It’s not the industry she wants to work in, nor a culture she likes, so the idea of doing more hours hasn’t made her day. But, Sarah needs the job, and doesn’t want to rock the boat, so she calmly replies, “Yes, of course, Boss”, and walks out of the room. 

Sarah has two choices. She can sit at her desk all day, whining to her colleagues, or she can see this as an opportunity.

During her break, Sarah goes outside. She takes a few deep breaths and takes a walk. On her walk, she listens to the birds and wonders how she can use this situation to the best of her advantage. She realises soon enough that Holly has some prosperous accounts with good customers who spend a lot of money; that means higher commission. 

As Sarah’s primary goal is to raise money to move abroad, the idea of taking Holly’s accounts raises her spirits. Yes, it will mean overtime, but overtime means pay and a half, so the end result is good.

What we see here is that within less that 15 minutes, Sarah has shifted her perspective. She’s gone from feeling burdened to realising that she just gained access to much larger accounts, with better commission potential. This means a step toward freedom. 

The result of today’s supposed dilemma is that Sarah will soon have the potential to raise the money she needs much sooner that she envisaged, which in her mind is absolutely perfect.

Oddly though, many people would have turned the news into something very different. 

Sarah is a forward thinker. She has a plan and knows where she’s going. She took the job with an obvious purpose in mind and that purpose never leaves her—even on the dark days. Every morning, Sarah drinks coffee whilst reading websites about Spain. She dreams about her new life at work and studies Spanish before she goes to bed. With such strong will and defined goals, Sarah’s path is destined to get her where she wants to go. 

Sarah could have spent the morning whining; telling everyone about Holly’s exit. Wasting time and agitating her boss. The day would not have ended well. But that’s not the way this story played out. 

Sarah completed her term at work, made more money than she anticipated and moved to Spain last month, to buy the apartment of her dreams. 

This story illustrates that everyone has choices. Choices that advance us, or choices that hold us back. When we shift our perspective and move steadfast toward your dreams, life eventually unites us with our desires. That’s why I want to remind you today that bad days are not a cue to quit.

Helping you build a life you love.

Dustie (RMT Life Coach)