When the unexpected smacks you square in the face and gives you a black eye.

How to reframe negative events to become positive drivers of change.

I resign.

I don’t like the work anymore. I’m leaving.
WTF!

You lose…

You lose an important staff member.
You lose an important customer.
Your project did not turn out as planned. So you earn less.
You lose money.
And the banks are putting up their interest rates.
And up some more and then some more – and they don’t stop until your costs are three times what they were six months ago.
Really!

It’s more common than you might think.

All of the above situations are common. They are normal occurrences.
It is just that they perhaps didn’t fully impact you before. And if they did, it may not have been recently.
Or perhaps it was recent for you.
The emotion is raw. It hurts.
Yes, it’s really, really annoying. Yes, it’s rude. Yes, we need to do something different.
WTF!

Normal…

Yes, but this is normal. What we are experiencing now is a normal problem.
Life is complicated.
Life is challenging.
Life is difficult.
Life… business… everything… can be very challenging at times.

OK. I’ve got that… AND?

Perhaps it might be beneficial to find a way of recognising that right here, right now, everything is not perfect.
There is work to do.
We need to find a way of making things better.

Where to start?

Start by stopping.
Stopping to observe. Absorb. Analyse.
Then think. Start thinking of the options.
What might work? What could work? What is worth a go?
Then, pick an option, and go for it.

Half a plan is better than no plan.

Forward motion is better than doing nothing.
Energy brings excitement.
Excitement brings energy.
And change.
And eventually… we will arrive at a better result.

About the Author:

Steve Wood is a management consultant who helps business owners to achieve their own roaring success.  > Read full profile