Bad days happen. We have all had them. They are part of life. If somehow you have managed to live a life of wine and roses with no hangovers or thorns you are supremely fortunate. Most of us didn’t get that lottery ticket. We got the one that has life throwing us curveballs, screwballs, and the pitch that hits you right upside the head. It is part of life. It is part of the growth curve we all experience.

Knowing you are going to have a bad day allows you prepare for it and be ready to face it with the right attitude. Here are 3 basic understandings:
1. Stuff is going to happen. Bad stuff…oh well.
2. You get to decide the story you are going to tell yourself about the stuff that happened.
3. You get to do something about the stuff.

Being prepared to handle these 3 understandings is going to take mental strength. You will need to exercise your mental toughness muscle. Here are the 4 exercises to get that muscle up and functional:
1. Expect stuff to happen Expect your 5 year plan to take 7 years, expect to go on lots of first dates because the girl of your dreams may not be around the corner, expect obstacles. Once we expect these sorts of challenges and disruptions they won’t come as a huge surprise. And when they aren’t a surprise they are easier to handle.
2. The stuff is not the new paradigm. You got fired; it doesn’t mean you will never work again. Your lover left you and broke your heart; it doesn’t mean you won’t love again. Change signals new opportunities arising.
3. Don’t beat yourself up. Just like the stuff is not a new paradigm, the stuff that happens does not make you a bad person, unlovable, stupid, or not worthy. Stuff happens. Refrain from making it a personal narrative.
4. Get into action. Do something. You can try almost anything. Action is always better than inaction. Inaction will find you wallowing in self-pity and stinking thinking.

Bad days come when we least expect them. They can appear overwhelming and insurmountable. You can put them where they belong by recognizing that they are impermanent and that they can be put in their place using the 4 strategies we just covered:
It happens.
It is not permanent
It isn’t about the real you.
Get into action.

This will strengthen your mental toughness…your resiliency…your ability to control your attitude in the face of adversity.

Lean on your past experiences and formulate a plan.

Success isn’t permanent and Failure isn’t fatal.

John Mariotti
www.crossfit-odyssey.com
www.sunday-stories.blogspot.com
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