I went bungee jumping once in my life and that was enough. The free fall was great- for all of the 3 seconds it took- but the yank up after wards was horribly jarring. The worst part was that horrible jarring and yanking was 90% of the bungee jumping. So you had 3 seconds of fun and then 10 minutes of being a puppet on a string that was yanked around by a cruel master waiting for your head to pop off.
It occurred to me that if you live with the pain of regret you need to be prepared to spend the majority of your time in that neck snapping uncomfortable spot dealing with the reflex of what didn’t happen.
If you operate under the pain of discipline you can get the time to realize that the wonderful part of the bungee jump (the 3 seconds of rush) can be done in better ways without the pain in the aftermath. You can start to plan so you have the best of both worlds.
If you operate under crisis, putting out fires or a calendar that is out of control, you are operating under the pain of regret. You are letting outside forces and issues dictate you and your time. Even if your boss is a crazy one, you don’t need to have your schedule be crazy. There are ways to get it back under control.
The scary part is that the more you operate under “the pain of regret” it means the more you are allowing the emotional part of your brain take control of your life. Now mind you, the emotional part of your brain is incredibly important. It is the part that guides your intuition, and the part that moves you to action. However, it is best served when there is an intelligence put to that emotion so that you act in a way that is congruent.
So for today, take stock. If you are out of control, start to regain control. Stop the insane bungee jump pain of the aftermath.
About Anne Warfield
As the leading Outcome Strategist, Anne Warfield shows people how to say the right thing at the right time every time. The revolutionary Outcome Focus® Approach shows how to build a candid corporate culture of communication that allows you to lead, present and negotiate transformationally rather than transactionally. When applying Outcome Thinking® our client’s results include sales cycles reducing by 75%, turnover reducing by 30%, silos evaporating, and a 25% savings of time by executives. Find out how you can maximize your corporate culture for greater productivity and results! Contact us at 888-imp-9421, visit www.impressionmanagement.com, or email contact@imp.us.com.
