​Sometimes professional transactions can go on for months if not years. Some bids for technology services can from start to finish last for over two years. Long term litigation can go on for even longer – I remember an insurance/reinsurance dispute in a law firm I worked for in which people developed their careers moving from trainees to senior lawyers over five or more years on the same case. These long-term matters introduce challenges involving potential stress and continuous extended working hours over long periods. Such transactions aren’t short “storms” or high-pressure situations that pass quickly and then normal life resumes. They continue interminably on like Jarndyce v Jarndyce the fictional probate case in Bleak House by Charles Dickens and need I suggest different techniques and approaches to manage and survive and even strive. 
 
In this context I heard a very apt quote listening to a popular music radio station the other day which nicely supplements my recent blog Storms will Pass. Life isn’t about waiting for the storm to pass.  It’s about learning to dance in the rain. It’s actually attributed to the artist, author and entrepreneur Vivian Greene. If I think of my favourite hobby sailing, there are many who enjoy fair weather sailing and go into port quite sensibly when the weather gets any worse. There are others who positively thrive in rough conditions and enjoy nothing more than getting soaked beating into a force 6 or 7 wind in a yacht race for days at a time. There are of course limits when even they seek shelter!
 
For me this is all about making the best of these difficult personal or professional work situation that may continue for a long time and finding ways, even if in the circumstances you obviously cannot enjoy all the challenges, to at least live in the moment and keep coping. Doing so stops you being dragged down by the situation. So, you are getting wet and cold but instead of huddling under your oilskins you can try to appreciate the sailing which though scary is exhilarating.
 
Here is a short Forbes blog How To Survive (And Thrive) In A Time Of Crisis which counsels against “locking yourself up at home” and stresses the importance of continuing some kind of normal live, seeing friends, keeping fit.
 
This helpful blog 8 Tips to Survive Any Crisis includes  Take care of yourself. This goes for those directly involved, as well. Even a short break or time away allows people to clear their heads and see their families. Eat well and avoid excess caffeine or alcohol. Try to get adequate rest.
 
There is also an interesting video with this Harvard Business Review article How to Thrive When Everything Feels Terrible which contains sensible advice about avoiding negativity and seeking positive relationships as a way of managing in a crisis. However, I think I am proposing going further and acknowledging that even though you may be in a long term professional or personal crisis we can look for ways to cope and create hope by staying resilient, carrying on with some good things and “dancing in the rain”.
 
This article Learn to Dance in the Rain  sums it up quite nicely To dance in the rain is a metaphor. It means: “that a person has learned not to allow circumstances deter them reaching their full potential. They don’t wait for bad things in their life to go away. Instead, they have a positive attitude and take challenges head on and enjoy the journey.”
 
I am not belittling any long term serious personal or work challenges – these can be terrible and seem overwhelming. I am just suggesting that even then there are ways of coping that beat despair and hopelessness. We are all on a journey in our professional work and whether that is uphill or smooth sailing it is I suggest about the journey not the destination. John Steinbeck wrote in Travels with Charley, “We do not take a trip; a trip takes us.”
 
As Bob Marley said “Some people feel the rain. Others just get wet.”

​I found this quote recently by the American singer-songwriter Marc Anthony “If you love what you do you will never work a day in your life”. It is similar to a much older quote attributed to Confucius Do What You Love Love What You Do. Anyway this really resonated with me in the context of our work as professionals and especially the challenge of encouraging continuous personal development in this busy world.
 
I know what repetitive hard manual work is from my student days when I worked in distribution centres, milk bottling plants (that was really early in the morning) and even building roof trusses (where I was told I might rise to foreman if I stayed). I met and worked with people who would probably spend their lives in those roles and from whom I learnt an awful lot. But for those jobs you generally clock in work through the day and then clock out. There is enjoyment and collegiality you don’t find in office work BUT it is harder to “love what you do” though still very much possible.
 
However, in our professional world as in the music industry, I suggest there is far less excuse for not making the most of what we do and at least aspiring to this ambition. This may not always seem easy especially when work is demanding and seemingly overwhelming but as this blog suggests we can get better at this and learn to do what we love, quoting the American author and coach Tony Robbins  “Change is automatic, but progress is not. If you want to make progress, you need a plan, a strategy and ongoing habits to get the results you want.” 
 
See also this blog which cites Steve Jobs 2005 Stanford Commencement Speech (really worth a read or listen by the way) when he said 
 
You’ve got to find what you love. And that is as true for your work as it is for your lovers. Your work is going to fill a large part of your life, and the only way to be truly satisfied is to do what you believe is great work. And the only way to do great work is to love what you do.
 
It makes very clear the distinction between “do what you love” and “love what you do” – I always wanted to be a drummer in a rock group, but became a lawyer – commenting:
 
On the other hand, “love what you do” implies learned love after the fact of the doing. Growing into your work and developing passion as an afterthought of commitment. For instance, if you’re a programmer, maybe you weren’t exactly passionate about it at first but have later cultivated a love for the craft and the work that you do. You discovered purpose and meaning in a profession that you priorly didn’t know existed.
 
And this is not easy to do but is something I think we can all work at – see this Harvard Business Review article How to Fall Back in Love with Your Job which says:
We tend to either plod along unhappy and dissatisfied, or overreact to the slightest hint of tedium and quit. “All of us have parts of our job that feel like a grind,” says Gretchen Spreitzer, professor of business administration at the University of Michigan. “But you have to look for the things in your everyday work life that give you joy, and find ways to bring more of those into your job.”
 
It then proposes ways of reengaging with and enjoying your job suggesting you should, for example
Think about what you like doing…
…And what you’re good at
Seek out passionate people - since passion can often be contagious, surrounding yourself with energetic people, whether at the office or in professional networking groups, can help revive a sagging interest in work.
 
And this, returning to my theme, is where conscious and committed continuing personal and professional development really comes into play. Here are a few more great quotes I found which illustrate this far better than I can.
 
“Education is not the filling of a pot but the lighting of a fire.”
– W.B. Yeats
 
“You don’t need to be a genius or a visionary, or even a college graduate for that matter, to be successful. You just need framework and a dream.”
– Michael Dell
 
“Live as if you were to die tomorrow. Learn as if you were to live forever.”
– Mahatma Gandhi
 
“The more that you read, the more things you will know. The more that you learn, the more places you’ll go.”
– Dr. Seuss
 
And last but not least 
 
“He who laughs most, learns best.”
– John Cleese