This is part 2 on a study of the book Peaks and Valleys by Spencer Johnson MD.
As discussed in my previous blog, a young man, who lives in the valley, scaled the side of a mountain looking for a better life. Missing the sunset by mere seconds, he failed to appreciate the fact that he climbed the summit in record time. Because he was complaining about the fact he missed the sunset, he also missed the spectacular star display in the night sky.
The old man helped the young man to realize that he has to celebrate successes along the way and may need to change what he is looking at to appreciate what he might be missing.
The old man told the young man that a good friend of his told him that if he used a Peaks and Valleys approach in his work and personal life then he would become more successful and find peace. The old man said he was skeptical but it turned out to be true and has made a huge impact on his life. He said it changed how he looked at the ups and downs in his life and what he did about it.
He told the young man that no one is charmed…everyone has good and bad times in their life-peaks and valleys. The key is to figure out how to get out a Valley sooner, stay on a Peak longer, and how to have more Peaks and fewer Valleys in the future.
So how do you get out of a valley quickly?
First, realize that you are in a valley!
This is similar to the first step in solving a problem is to figure out you have a problem. You must realize that you are in a valley so you can start to climb out!
Second, realize that the situation is bad but you are not!![checklistman]()
Just because something bad has happened to you it does not mean that you are bad or that you deserve what has happened to you. Remember that great parenting advice regarding disciplining your child: Tell the child that what they did was bad but they are not a bad kid.
How you feel depends a great deal upon how you view your situation. Separate what happens to you from how good and valuable you feel as a person. The wise old man told the young man: You can feel good about yourself even when bad things are happening to you.
Separate your feelings from the problem and so you can figure out ways to solve it with logic.
Third, get back to basics!
Concentrate and focus on what matters most. You haven’t always been in this valley. What lead to your downfall? If you are broke, did you spend too much on junk food this month? Did you blow your budget? Did you have a budget to begin with?
Finally, to change a valley into a peak, you need to change one of two things: what is happening, or how you feel about what is happening.
If you can change the situation, that’s great! If you are broke, research money management basics. Make a budget and vow to stick by it.
If you cannot change the situation, you can choose how you feel about it so that is can work to your advantage. Say you were fired from your job. You could look at this as if it were the end of the world but what if you decided that getting fired you result in something better? What is you decided to re-invent yourself?
Choosing a better belief usually leads to a better result.
Think about it…if you were interviewing two people for a job who would you hire? Would you fire the candidate who came in upset and complaining about their last employer who laid them off or the candidate who decided to make the best of a bad situation and was excited about learning about the opportunities offered with this new position?
The path out of a valley appears when you choose to see things differently!
Next week I will discuss something even more important…How to stay on a peak longer!
