3 Tips On How to Rise Above Challenging Circumstances

By: Kathy Kent Toney, President of Kent Business Solutions

Photo by Michael Kilcoyne on Unsplash  

Are you facing (or have faced) less-than-ideal circumstances, and you still have a positive attitude like the dog in this video? His cone of shame didn't stop him from having a good time!

I’m pretty sure that is not the case for most of us!

But there are things you can do to overcome what appear to be insurmountable challenges. Here are three tips to get you headed in the right direction:

1. Accept Your Current Situation

I like to call this “relinquishing your right to a different current state.” This idea may sound strange, but it's an effective way to approach difficult situations creatively. We often waste precious brain capacity on wishing for a different result. Whenever we can clear out the mental clutter, this frees up our mind to see the challenge for what it is, not for what we want it to be.

Here’s a little exercise I’d like to you try:

• Think back to a time you faced a challenging situation in your work. What were your reactions in the beginning? Did you worry too much about it? Did you place blame on yourself or others for any outcomes? Did you waste too much mental energy and perhaps time wishing for a different present tense? In short, review your mental process and actions early on in the process.

 

• Next, think through what it would have looked like if you relinquished your right to a different current state, accepted the current situation, and then started on finding a solution. Would your timeline have been shorter? Would your amount of wasted mental energy be reduced?

Once you’ve tried this, you’re ready for the next step.

2. Brainstorm Solutions

Get your team involved with this. You can even do a reverse brainstorming exercise. This approach is where you work backward from the end state that you DON’T want to happen.

3. Pick Your Best Solution and Put it into Play

Again, include your team to help choose the best one that will solve the problem. If you’re having a challenging time picking the best approach, I’ve included a free Prioritization Tool below.

Once you have selected your best option, implement your new game plan.
 
I hope these tips helped you! In the meantime, if you have any questions about the best ways to optimize your organization, I'd love to hear from you! I'm all about helping organizations become profitable beyond their imagination.

P.S. Don’t forget to download your FREE Prioritization Tool by clicking the button below.

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Click on the button below to download our FREE Project Prioritization Matrix!

FREE Prioritization Project Matrix

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