Saturday, December 19, 2009

The low point

This week has been the low point in my infancy in the blogging world. A combination of traveling, ridiculous working hours and the difficulty of actually getting access to the internet when traveling overseas without paying up a complete fortune, has made this a barren week. No posts at all and unforgivable delays in responding to comments. Sorry.

There are, of course, periods in business life, which are like this. Low points. Much more serious than a blogging setback. When nothing seems to be going right. When self doubts creep in. When your boss rubs it in, instead of being supportive. Hence a post which might help in a small way, if you face such a situation.

Firstly , everybody goes through this, many times in a career. Even Jack Welch. Steve Jobs was once sacked from Apple ! The more successful guys have perhaps gone through it more often. So, if its of any comfort, we are in elite company.

Secondly, its only a job. This is often the most difficult of concepts to digest. ITS ONLY A JOB. Its not our life. The vast majority of us consider that it IS our life. Sure, we must give it our very best, We must give it our heads and perhaps our hearts, but never our soul.

Thirdly, it won’t look so bad tomorrow. It has often amazed me that what looks like a low point today, doesn’t seem all that low tomorrow. Our perspectives often react in an extreme to a given situation. Tomorrow is another day.

Fourthly, the sun will still rise in the east. Nothing is ever THAT important. In a few months, if not a few weeks, it will all be forgotten. Think back to the last time that it didn’t seem to be going so well in the office. Did it matter ? Of course it didn’t.

Fifthly, its not worth getting furious at the boss. He’s going through the same cocktail of emotions too. OK, he’s a bum. But is it worth expending all that energy on a bum ? He’ll go away tomorrow. There’ll be a new bloke to deal with.

If this sounds all cliché ridden, it is. File this away in a far corner of the mind. And on the low days, maybe, just maybe, it might help, just a teeny weeny bit.

I’ll leave you with a song that bears no relation to the post other than that it features the word low. Its wildly evocative of a lovely lovely land. Here it is …….