“I’m fabulous. I am always fabulous.”😎
That’s my flippant answer when people ask me, “How are you?”
At a fireside chat that Natalie Mean invited me to speak and I was asked what I do when I have a bad day.
The thing is that I rarely have bad days nowadays. 🤷🏻♀️
It’s not like my life is full of rainbows 🌈 and sunshine 🌞 every day, but I rarely let it get me down.
It’s because I am always deeply #grateful for what I have.
Volunteering for a charity helps give me #perspective.
There are so many whose lives are a daily battle, where abuse, trauma, loss, and addiction are just some of the demons they have to confront and fight with every single day.
When I was younger, my reponses to bad events were emotionally immature.
I’d lash out, scream and curse. 🤬
I’d say and do things that I would come to regret. 😣
As I matured, I learned to create the space between the trigger event and my response.
This space allowed me to quickly assess and evaluate the responses (and the various outcome), and decide on the appropriate action.
How bad is this?
No, really – how bad is this?
What is this I am feeling? Anger? Hurt?
No, what is the REAL emotion I’m feeling? Fear of loss?
Why am I feeling this way?
What can I do about this in a productive way?
Do I need to do something unproductive before I can move on?
Ok, I’ll go scream into a pillow for a minute or two.
Now that’s out of my system, what rational action can I do about this?
… and on and on and on.
As a consultant Project Manager, I always have to keep my composure.
Mastering your emotional energy is a secret super power, and I coach my team to self-regulate and manage their emotions.
This is incredibly useful in stressful projects, especially when clients are wigging out.
#Perspective always helps calm stormy waters.
#Gratitude keeps me grounded.
It doesn’t mean that I don’t get angry or emotional, but it does mean that I am able to better manage it.
Unless… you eat the last donut 🍩
Then, watch out! You really don’t want to see this side of me! 👿
What turns you into a charging rhino?! 🦏
