5 Survival Tactics for When Everything Goes Wrong
You know the type of week.
* You’ve worked hard and are gearing up to launch a new
product when a vendor calls and says that he can’t get the
new website up on deadline which is “okay” because the
graphic artist’s computer crashed and your product picture
isn’t ready anyway. They’ll get back to you.
* Taxes are due for those who got extensions and, in some
previous insanity, you agreed to do them for friends and
family. But you still need information and the tax
deadline looms.
* Your hubby needs reading classes but you can’t find the
credit card which will give you the big discount. It’s
gotta be around somewhere.
* Your sister wants to borrow your AAA card – it must be
with the missing credit card.
* Your business phone line stops working and the telephone
company insists the problem is in the home and they can’t
get to you for a week.
* It hasn’t rained for weeks and yet the dog is covered in
mud and lying on the couch.
* Your largest client calls on a Friday afternoon and
requests the impossible. This was preceded by your
smallest client calling and demanding that you drop
everything as her every need is *urgent*.
* The bathroom toilet stops working and then starts leaking
and your plumber is on vacation.
What do you do when it all goes wrong?
1. Laugh.
Laugh hard and laugh often. Laugh like there’s no tomorrow
– given the above, there may not be.
Seriously though. . .laughter will put you in a much better
frame of mind to deal with life’s interruptions without
losing your sanity.
2. Breathe.
If laughter isn’t possible, and sometimes it just isn’t,
then focus on your breathing. Breathe in and out, in and
out as deeply as possible until your pulse stops racing or
you let go of the throat that somehow found its way into
your grasp.
3. Regroup.
When the walls are caving in around you, take five minutes
and figure out what you can do to keep at least one thing
moving forward.
Follow-up on the email that may land you a new client.
Submit your article to the various article submission
sites. Pay a couple of bills. Do one thing, anything so
that you can cross something off your *list*. It’s
probably best if this something doesn’t involve interaction
with others!
4. Give thanks.
“What? Give thanks? Are you insane?”
I can hear the grumbling from here. Do it anyway! Grab a
piece of paper and make a list of everything that you are
thankful for – chances are, you have it better than
millions of others.
Here’s a quick list of things that I know I’m grateful for:
my health, family and friends, my pets, my business and my
clients, sunrises and sunsets, flowers, chocolate ice
cream, the sound of the ocean and a crisp New England fall
day.
5. Get out.
Get out of the house and out of the office.  Whether you
choose to go for a walk, have lunch with friends, go window
shopping (leave credit cards at home) or browse the shelves
at your local library, get out and enjoy yourself for a
bit. You’ll return in a much refreshed frame of mind and
ready to tackle whatever life throws your way.
Let’s be real. Sometimes problems are just problems and
not “opportunities”. Sometimes lemons make bad lemonade.
And not all clouds have a silver lining. When everything
goes wrong, try one (or all) of the above techniques,
accept it and move on knowing that things will get better!
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Online Business Manager & Entrepreneur, Sandra Martini
coaches small business owners to more efficiently manage
their businesses while increasing profits and having fun.
Sandra’s coaching programs are available via
teleconferencing, emails and telephone calls. For more
information or to sign-up for ‘Effective Entrepreneur’,
visit http://www.online-biz-coach.com today. Want to grow
your business? Sign up for the FREE e-course “How to Write
a Dynamic Marketing Plan” by sending a blank email to
smartini-187175@autocontactor.com today.
