10 Ways To Get Up After a Bad Day
When I was in college there was this song called Bad Day and it went like this-
'Cause you had a bad day
You're taking one down
You sing a sad song just to turn it around
You say you don't know
You tell me, "don't lie"
You work at a smile, and you go for a ride
You had a bad day
The camera don't lie
You're coming back down, and you really don't mind
You had a bad day
You had a bad day
My friends and I would turn that song on and yell at the top of our lungs after what we thought were “bad days.” Here I am almost 20 years removed from my college days and I would like to think much smarter and more mature than I was at 19 years old.
But the reality is I still have bad days as a leader. And if you’re really honest you probably do too. The good news is we’re not alone.
Even the great prophet Jeremiah had a bad day (See Jeremiah 20:1-18). He was discouraged and complained to God for the first ten verses in the chapter. Then He praised God for his victories in the next four verses. And then his bad day comes back and he curses the day he was born (V. 14). If you’re like me you can relate!
As a leader the reality is we are going to have bad days. There are going to be things that happen that are out of our control. There will also be things under our control that we cause the bad day for ourselves or others. We’re all going to have bad days as leaders, but the thing that can set us apart and help us move forward is how do we respond when we have a bad day. Are we going to get up or give up?
10 ways to get up after a bad day:
Don’t feel sorry for yourself- Failure is an attitude choice. It’s not an outcome.
Think positively- Winston Churchill said, “Success comes by going from failure to failure without losing enthusiasm.” This was just one day.
Learn from your experiences- Fail forward. Failure is not failure unless you don’t learn anything from it and repeat the same behavior that got you there in the first place.
Find a new way- The best leaders change up their approaches to problem solving. If one path isn’t working choose a different path.
Laugh- Laughing is contagious. It promotes teamwork and bonding between people. Sometimes that little injection of laughter can spark some hope. And laughter is scientifically proven to reduce stress and anxiety.
Get real- Your first job as the leader is to set expectations and define the reality of the situation.
Establish new goals- Henry Ford said, “Failure is the opportunity to begin again, but more intelligently.” Create a new path forward. Don’t make the same mistake again. Tomorrow is a new day with a new goal.
Renew your passion- Remind yourself why you do this in the first place.
Do something fun- Go play tennis or go to the movies or whatever it is you do for fun. Call a friend and go to dinner or coffee with them. Do something fun to take your mind off of work and just enjoy yourself. It will help reframe your thoughts.
Remind yourself you are not what you do- Your performance as a leader does not determine your self-worth. Spend time with friends and family and remind yourself you are not what you do.