"Life is like a journey by sea: there are days of calm and stormy days, the most important thing is to be a good captain of our boat" - Jacinto Benavente
We will always face challenging situations in all areas of life, what makes all the difference is how we handle them. When we go through difficult situations we have, two options: sink into the pain and despair or learn to grow and emerge stronger. The secret is to focus on learning from these experiences. If we don’t, we miss a valuable opportunity to improve.
When plans go awry
We’ve all experienced a time when something hasn’t gone to plan. Whether in life or our tech ventures. Perhaps a key project fell short of expectations, and a promising partnership didn’t materialize. Maybe the startup you poured your heart into hit a roadblock, or the excitement of innovation was replaced by the anxiety of uncertainty. Or perhaps you missed out on that big job promotion. Or the thought of going to work might have filled you with dread or you just lost your job. Whatever the problem.
In such moments, it’s easy to feel as though the reins of our lives have slipped from our grasp, leaving us adrift in a sea of challenges. For tech entrepreneurs and their teams, these experiences can be particularly daunting. The fast-paced nature of the tech industry often amplifies feelings of inadequacy or fear. However, it’s during these trying times that we have an opportunity to pivot and take charge. The path forward lies in regaining control—reassessing our strategies, rallying our teams, and embracing resilience. By doing so, we not only navigate through the obstacles but also emerge stronger, and more focused.
Tips to help you regain control of your professional - and personal - life
1. Accept yourself with all of your strengths and weaknesses. You have to become your best friend. Make a list of all your strengths and attributes. What are you good at? What experience do you have? What do you like to do? Put this list in a place where you can access it whenever you need it (the notes section on your phone, little notes in your office or on the refrigerator, etc.).
If you are constantly focusing on your weaknesses, ask yourself what you would do to overcome them. And then DO IT! No excuses!
2. Know that pain makes you more human. When we experience moments of pain we become more empathetic to the pain of others.
3. Take the opportunity to experience the process. Sometimes we want to push a button to skip the pain and discomfort. But we need to experience the pain; what we learn from those experiences is what makes us grow.
4.'There are no mistakes; everything unfolds the way it’s supposed to', is what Elisabeth Kübler-Ross wrote in her book "Life Lessons".
Remember this. Life does not always give us what we want, but it always gives us what we need. Many of us do not know how to live with things as they are. We feel that we need to change it; we don’t trust that things will be fine if left alone. We believe that there is a difference between something that does not happen soon enough and something that does not happen the way we think it should happen.
5. If we cannot change the situation, we need to learn to accept it. "Sometimes not getting what you want is a wonderful stroke of luck." ~ Dalai Lama.
6. Have patience. Sometimes we think that life tells us "no" when it's simply telling us "wait".
7. Control the immediate instinct of wanting to do something to change things. Give yourself time to think and analyze the situation from different perspectives. These will help you acquire a more realistic picture of the situation in which you find yourself. Create an action plan. This is much better than reacting immediately as this can often make the situation even more difficult.
8. Surround yourself with friends to share moments of joy. It is precisely at times of challenge and pain when having this support is invaluable, perhaps you can discover new and valuable friendships.
9. Enjoy your life and what you have. We tend to focus too much on what we don’t have, what we miss, and what we still need to accomplish. We fail to appreciate all of the great things that we already have. The greatest antidote for pain is to live in the NOW. When we experience pain we spend much time thinking about how we could have done things differently or worrying about the future. Every moment we have the opportunity to start again. Surround yourself with people who encourage you, fill your life with fun activities, dare to do unexpected things, put yourself in new challenges, and leave your comfort zone. Live every day as if it were the last one.
10. Don't forget that you control how you feel. Often we give too much power to the circumstances and people in our lives. Take control of your emotions and decide how you want to feel.
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