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.”
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.”
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