How to deal with a 'bad' day at work?

   So far, this internship has proved to be a great experience that has by far exceeded my expectations in terms of learning about the way the 'real' world ticks. I have found myself to be some sort of workaholic; reveling in each and every moment of working on the project : The hectic lifestyle, the stress, the crisis meetings, working on the weekends, the adrenaline rush before each client pitch or official presentation in front of the board of official sponsors. There is also the personal satisfaction that comes with the moment you realize that you are doing the right thing and having people in the field congratulate you on your initiatives.

   Although my work experience has been mostly positive, I also have to acknowledge the fact that the longer I work on the project, the harder it gets to be as efficient as the first few days on the job as I have to manage my personal life while the amount of pressure takes its toll on my physically and mentally. In order to be able to perform at our best in the professional world, it is very important to have a balanced lifestyle in order to be ready to deal with the 'bad' days at work.

 I have already experienced one of those days where everything seems to go wrong:-

Start the day by driving 1 hour to a meeting at 9.00am and the person does not show up. At the next meeting the client shows up 45 minutes late and although he loves the project, he cannot be part of it due to some license issues. Then drive for another 45 min to another meeting and finalize a deal. The following appointment also does not show up and has as an excuse that he completely forgot about the meeting. To add to things, have a previous client call to tell you that unfortunately they won't be able to part of the project and finally when you show up for your last appointment at 7.00pm, you again find out that the person will not be able to receive you and due to some miscommunication you did not get the message earlier.

   After days like these it is very important to put things in perspective and try to focus on the few positives of the day. Each one of us has our own way to deal with things and mine was to turn on my Playstation and take out my frustration on Call of Duty online. I could not afford to have a dip in performance as the next day I again had a full schedule of client pitch.

  The next day was actually a great one where we had a positive feedback from all the appointments. I am now aware that the professional world has its ups and downs and that its all part of the game. Its important to have the bigger picture in mind and keep on goals on focus.

Find below a couple of links that I have found to be an interesting read and that might help some of you deal with these 'bad' days. Some of the tips might appear to be mundane but when you are facing tough situations its important to recall these small things that might actually help get you out of a tricky situation..

http://everydaylife.globalpost.com/handle-bad-day-work-28699.html

http://www.forbes.com/sites/deborahljacobs/2012/10/03/be-happier-at-work-10-ways-to-turn-around-a-bad-day/

Have a good read and keep on enjoying your work placements..

Yashdith Bachwa
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