Growth Hacks #13: Sanity Tools

In life, whether it is personal or professional, sometimes things don't go as per plan. They don't go as per expectations. There are failures. You lose the deal that you thought was already won. You join a startup only to see it failing and you yourself getting thrown into the streets without a job. You don't get that promotion that you deserve.

Sometimes, the disappointments are smaller but they are there. A meeting doesn't go as well as you thought it should. You have a hard conversation with your subordinate and it is not going well. The project that you are in charge of is just not finding closure. It drags on.

When such things happen, what do you do? How do you keep your sanity intact? How do you find that elusive calm? How do you motivate yourself to find peace? **************************************************************************************All of us have our own unique ways of finding that elusive calm, that elusive peace of mind. The following are my own ways of keeping my sanity.

I call these my "Sanity tools.

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1. Life is a Marathon. It is not a sprint. It is not a 100 meter race

Life - especially corporate life is a marathon. In fact, it is a never-ending marathon. It definitely is not a sprint. It is not a 100-meter race.

I tell this to myself over and over again. Especially when I lose. Especially when I fail. Especially when the outlook is gloomy. Especially when everything seems lost.

There could be many people running in front of me. That is fine. This race is not going to be decided any time soon. I have plenty of time to pick myself up and run again.

The most important thing is to stay in the race and not quit.

2. I am a spec in the universe. Let me not take myself too seriously.

Whenever I feel that I am just putting too much pressure on myself and taking myself too seriously, I look at the following two pictures:

a) Earth in relation to other plants:

Earth looks like a spec in front of Saturn and Jupiter.

b) Our Milky Way in relation to the entire cosmos:

The Milky Way, in which the earth is a spec in front of other planets, in itself is a spec in the whole cosmos.

Within that spec is Earth. Within that, I live in one corner of India.

Given the vastness of the cosmos, I am nothing. Let me not attach too much importance to my existence.

3. Circle of control vs influence vs concern:

What I can truly control is pretty limited. The only things that I can truly control are the ways I think, do things, and act. The only thing I can really control is the way I react to what is happening around me.

There is some influence I have on a few limited things. I can influence my team. I can influence my family.

There is a whole lot of things that I am concerned about but which I have neither any control nor any influence on. I am concerned about the environment. I can avoid plastics. Completely in my control. I can tell others to avoid it. To some extent, I can influence it. Beyond that, I cannot do much.

There are so many things which are beyond my control or influence. Many times I think I have control or at least influence over some things - but only to discover later that I have neither.

So, why worry and put pressure on myself about things where I have neither control nor influence?

**************************************************************************************If you want to have a peaceful corporate journey, please feel free to get in touch with me. You may want to check out my course: "Get That DREAM JOB & TURBOCHARGE your Career "??

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About the Author: ?Visvanathan Sambasivam

I am a corporate professional, having worked as a Marketing / Consumer Insights professional in various Indian and Global MNCs for the last 30 years, with a passion for mentoring, teaching, and coaching; with a vision of helping 1 million people in their personal and professional growth.

I write regularly on LinkedIn & Facebook and have mentored many people in their professional journey.