We all have those days right?
- someone on your team just doesn’t seem to listen and did ‘it’ wrong again
- you can’t get something to work and have spent hours trying to fix it to no avail
- your website is down right before a big promo
- you are having a misunderstanding with one of your clients
You know, the kind of day where you just want to scream, yell, perhaps chuck your computer out the window? This happens to all of us, it’s just a fact of life imho. My question to you is:
What do you do when you feel that way?
You know how volcanos always have a little bit of steam seeping out through the cracks? I don’t know the exact science behind this but I believe that the volcano is releasing a bit of steam to ease up on the pressure building up inside – so as to prevent an eruption!
Same thing applies to us – we need to find ways to release a bit of steam now and again so we don’t errupt! (which can be damaging to us and our biz relationships).
I really do think it is necessary to vent now and again – in business and in life. Quite often just releasing a bit of ‘steam’ will go a long way towards fixing the problem (and may even dissolve the problem altogether). The key is to do it in a constructive way. A few ideas:
- Have a venting buddy – I’m quite fortunate to have a few close biz colleagues that I can call up when i’m annoyed, frustrated, angry and just VENT! And I will actually say that, “i’m so annoyed by X, just want to vent… yadda yadda”.
- Use your anger ‘energy’ in a constructive way – do something physical like go for a run or clean the kitchen. Do something creative like write an article or paint a picture.
- Get out of your environment – I find that I will get frustrated and angry much easier when i’m super busy or just plain tired. Sometimes just taking a break can make a big difference, get out of the house, go for lunch with a friend and most importantly, leave your computer behind! 😉
- Talk to the person direct – if you are having a challenge with another person, your best (only) way to fix it is to have a conversation. Don’t start the conversation when you are angry or frustrated, best to wait and let things diffuse a bit first if need be.
- Get help! – if it is a technical or ‘how-to’ problem find someone who can help. Just yesterday I was beating my head against the wall trying to figure out something wierd with a new ezine tempalte… and finally decided to ask a super smart colleague if he knew how to fix. He did, and if I had asked him sooner it would have saved me a good hour of time and frustration.
What do you like to do to vent? Do tell.