Posted July 16th, 2013
By Kris Powers
I remember when my oldest son was in elementary school and I was selected to chaperone a fieldtrip to see the play, “Alexander and the Terrible Horrible No Good Very Bad Day”. To be honest, I remember nothing of the play (I was probably busy separating pack of 7 year old boys and begging them to be quiet), but the title has stuck with me over the years and I frequently refer to it when I, myself, have a bad day.
Last week I had a no good, very bad day. It’s not so much that anything went overly wrong; it’s just that nothing went overly right. And I felt frustrated and defeated. That night I put myself to bed early (as I used to make my children do when they were little) and picked up a magazine to flip through before turning out the lights. That’s when I came across an article by Abby Sher (@AbbySher) recounting an email snafu during which she’d inadvertently responded to “all” in a message when she’d only meant to respond to “one”. I think some of us might be able to relate. The moment we hit “send” and our hearts fall, our pulse begins to race, and we break out in a cold sweat. We are mortified at doing something so stupid, so public; sure that everyone will see us as a failure.
However, in this situation, the writer was surprised and buoyed by the responses she got, with people emailing back “I hate when that happens!” Isn’t that amazing? It brings clarity to a moment when you are feeling very vulnerable and weak – the fact that “we’ve all been there” at one time or another. Nobody is perfect. We all make mistakes. Everybody has a "no good, very bad day" every once in a while. The biggest message is “we are not alone”. And I realized once again the power of words and their ability to change a person’s outlook. I felt a little more optimistic as I closed my eyes that the next day would be a better day.
We can only do the very best that we can. And sometimes, in spite of our best efforts, we mess up. So, as you begin this day, please remember nobody is perfect, we all make mistakes and, most importantly, we are not alone. We can also take steps to learn how to better handle our feelings of anxiety as well as coach others in doing the same. Ed4Career offers a number of courses that will give you the tools to manage stress not only in your own life, but in the lives of others as well.
Mindfulness and the Art of Choice http://Ed4Career.com/professional-course/mindfulness-and-art-choice
Positive Psychology Coaching http://Ed4Career.com/professional-course/positive-psychology-coaching
Stress Management Coaching Level 1 http://Ed4Career.com/course/stress-management-coaching-level-1
Stress Management Coaching Level 2 http://Ed4Career.com/course/stress-management-coaching-level-2
