How to deal when things don’t go “as planned”

I thought I'd share a few strategies that have worked for me when things in life and business haven't gone "as planned."

If you've been reading my emails for a while, you may know that I've been working on getting to neutral in my life and business.

Thus the 30-day writing challenge and the meditation challenge.

It's basically the idea that I don't get an emotional charge around the negative aspects of life and business. I just handle them with ease and grace from the get go.

A lofty goal, I know.

And since I'm not there yet, I've had to bring out my "tools" when things don't go the way I wish or had planned.

So, I thought I'd share my process that gets me there eventually because it is incredibly helpful.

#1: Have a mini-tantrum for a few minutes

Depending on the severity of the issue, this may include venting out loud, having a good cry, maybe a little profanity. I don't try to hold in the emotions. I just let them run their course. By not holding them in and giving them full release, they tend to dissipate after a few minutes.

For me, if I try to deny how I'm feeling, the emotions tend to fester. And then come out in other ways. And historically, that has not been good. 😉

#2: Talk it out if needed

Once the intensity of the emotions have decreased, I check in to see if I need to get clear on my thinking. If it's something that I actually need to think through, I'll grab a friend if possible and talk it out. If a friend isn't available, I'll write everything I can about it in my journal. For me, writing is thinking so it is often incredibly helpful to get stuff out of my head and onto paper or computer. Things just get clearer.

#3: Don't make decisions when upset

If the situation is something I need to respond to, I make sure I'm as close to neutral as I can get. I do my best to never ever make decisions or respond to a situation when emotions are high.

#4: Take a break (often a dance or walking break)

I know this sounds a little bit weird, especially the dance part, but this is really helpful when you have to get back to your day. For me, it seems like the combination of music and movement helps clear out any emotional remnants from my body so I can get back to things.

For example, a few months ago, I shared how I got my first "eff you" email and the process I went through to figure out what to do.

Fortunately, I had space in my morning to process through it to get as close to neutral as I could.

And I still had work to do, clients to see, and so on.

Basically, life didn't stop because I got an upsetting email.

A quick walk with some music and I was good to go for the rest of the day.

It's not always easy to build a business. There are ups and downs.

I know you probably have your own tools to deal with the upsets.

Just thought I'd share some of mine in case you found them helpful.