Surviving the tough times
By Andrew May
Sure, times are a little tough. But talk to some people right now and you’d honestly think the world was over. I met with a senior sales manager last week and from the moment I walked into his office my energy was drained. Bags around his eyes, shoulders slumped forward, and when he lumbered out of his chair to greet me he moved like a hairy sloth stretching out from one branch to the next. I made the fatal mistake of asking ‘how’s it all going’ and for the next 10 minutes was peppered with all of the reasons why business as we know it is over; how the world will never recover; and how we’re all totally, totally screwed. ‘Armageddon’ I could feel him screaming underneath his responses. ‘Armageddon, Armageddon the world is about to end!’
Now before you discount me as a totally insensitive ‘rhymes with chick’, let me acknowledge that times definitely are tough and there is a lot of pain out there. In fact we have seen the worst decline in the stock market since the 1937 depression. At the start of the year we had 5 major US investment banks, now there are only 2. In recent months we’ve seen Octagon, ABC Learning, Allco and a list of other companies go into receivership.
So yeah, this is like nothing many of us have ever seen before. In fact most Generation Y workers have never witnessed a downturn in the financial market in their working lives. But the world is not over and I still haven’t finished with my friend the senior sales manager. Now I’ve known this guy for more than 5 years and he is one of the best sales people I have ever meet. He leads a national team of more than 300 people in a very competitive, fast changing industry.
After hearing him out for 10 minutes and 12 seconds, (but who said I was actually counting?), I had to interject and metaphorically slap him across the face. ‘Jim, Jim. I totally agree with you mate. The world seriously is screwed. Why don’t you sell everything right now, pull the kids out of school, call your wife, pack up the car and head to the hills. Get out of here because listening to you for the last 10 painful minutes, I have no doubt the worst is yet to come. . .’
After staring at me gob smacked for a few minutes, he said ‘I think that was a bit harsh! There’s no need to take the piss and make me feel totally inadequate. Thanks for getting rid of every last bit of motivation I had left’ . Staring as intently back I said ‘Come on mate, snap out of it. I’ve known you for more than 5 years and you’re one of the best sales people I’ve ever met. Sure times are tough, but there’s still a lot that you can focus on in a positive way. Besides, if you’re behaving and acting like this, God help the people you lead every day – what on earth is their behaviour and attitude going to be like?’
After the dust settled we found a common ground and both agreed there were a number of areas that people can focus on, even in the toughest of times, to help people survive. So with the help of my mate Jim, here are 6 tips to help you get through the dip.
1. Turn off the TV!
One of the worst ways to start and every day right now is with a media diet saturated with bad news. Now I understand that if you work in the financial markets you need to know what is happening globally, but please have some periods in your day when you turn off the constant news stream. Unplug, switch off and change channels. Listen to some music in your car or plug in the ipod on the ride home from work. Read a fiction book or take your dog for a walk, take the kids to the park. Turn off the RSS feeds and get out of the habit of negative news updates 24/7.
2. Huff and Puff
Right now is a great time to focus more on your own health and wellbeing. Make sure you take a walk every day and lock in 3 planned physical activity sessions each week for 45 minutes to an hour. And you don’t have to go to the gym, especially if the thought of sweating inside a gym is akin to a trip to the dentist. Go for a walk on the beach or kick a footy in the park with your mates, paddle a kayak or enrol in a dancing class. Make yourself accountable to regular physical activity and also watch the food and fluid intake. Eat healthy meals and cut back on the caffeine and alcohol consumption.
3. Stimulate the brain
Keep learning. Nothing turns people into a shade of grey quicker than switching off the brain. Next time you fly grab the inflight magazine and fill out a crossword, enrol in an adult education course, pick up an instrument or learn a language. Watching my 6 month old daughter just amazes me how quickly we learn. It also shocks me as to how quickly we stop stimulating the brain or even ‘unlearn’ when we finish school and university. Learning should be a life long endeavour and all of the latest research highlights you have a reduced chance of alseimers and degenerative diseases if you keep the brain stimulated
4. Trim the fat
Cut back on discretionary spending and minimise as much financial stress as possible. Take your lunch to work each day, set a limit of how many times you eat out each week and cut back on spending to build a financial buffer to draw on down the track if needed. Now is a god time to practice being frugal with finances. It’s amazing how much you really can save by sticking to a weekly budget.
5. Delete stinking thinking
In essence this is about increasing your awareness of thinking (cognition). The best way to do this is to start keeping a thought diary. This involves writing down your thoughts (and feelings) in different situations throughout the day and carefully noting the relationship between certain types of thoughts and certain types of feelings. We all have approximately 50, 000 plus thoughts every day – it is important the majority of these thoughts are Positive Optimistic Thoughts (POT’S and not Automatic Negative Thoughts (ANTS).
Just because you think something does not mean it’s true. Thoughts are not necessarily facts. If your ANTs are causing unnecessary distress you can learn to challenge or change them. This is simply a process that involves questioning your thoughts by asking questions like: Is this true? Is it helpful? Is it really that bad? Once you’ve identified and challenged your negative thoughts, it is time to start planting positive (but still realistic) thoughts. Focus on all the good things in your life; by actively looking for more good things in your life; by looking at difficult situations as opportunities to learn; and by believing good things will happen in the future.
6. Giggle, laugh and play
Finally, get a regular boost of fun and enjoyment into your routine. It’s amazing how much better you feel after a good belly laugh. Hang out with a friend or colleague that makes you laugh, watch a funny movie or just do something that you love.
Find your PPP - Positive Passionate Pursuit, a healthy activity that is good for you and where you lose yourself in the process. Every Thursday morning I hit the surf with a few mates, we swap between surf ski’s, paddle boards, surfing and swimming. I look forward to Thursday mornings each week and this helps me recharge, reenergise and renew.
Final comment
Yes, times are tough. But no, it is not the end of the world. Try and take a step back and focus on the areas in your life you can control and try to not worry about the areas or parts in your life you can’t control. Tines will get better and after every dip there is always a period of growth and prosperity.
Andrew May is is considered Australia’s leading expert on performance and productivity and is the author of the bestselling book, Flip the Switch. Andrew speaks at conferences across the globe, mentors CEO’s and senior managers. He is published throughout national and international media, with regular segments on 2UE radio, Mix 106.5 Body and Soul and Channel Nine’s TODAY show.