The Journey

You’re not always going to be winning. Sometimes you’ll be up and thriving, and sometimes you’ll be down and falling short on things.

There is a great book called the Peaks and Valleys. The idea from the book is that whatever journey you’re on, some ups and some downs are inevitable and part of the growth.

What’s important is your thinking. When you’re up, are you grateful? And what are you doing to prepare and avoid yourself or your team from falling short?

When you’re down, how do you take intentional action to get yourself back up again and thriving?

If you haven’t already, you know what to do:

What are Peaks and Valleys?

Peaks are moments when you appreciate what you have, these are the good times, the highs.

Valleys are moments when you long for what is missing, the rough times, the lows.

You could be on a Peak or Valley for seconds or even years, with one having a significant effect on the other.

The author’s analogy of 'Peaks and Valleys' to your heartbeat: “Like a healthy heartbeat, your personal peaks and valleys are an essential part of a normal, healthy life.”

You need the ups and downs of life in order to be alive and grow.

What are the 5 lessons we can learn from the Peaks and Valleys Book?

Lesson 1 - Make reality your friend

Whether you are temporarily up on a Peak or down in a Valley, ask yourself this question. What is the truth in this situation? Avoid believing things are really good when they might not be. And avoid believing things are really bad when they might not be. Be true to yourself and face up to reality.

Lesson 2 - Find the good hidden in the bad times

Relax, knowing that Valleys do subside eventually. While you’re in a Valley get outside of yourself by being of more value to your colleagues and family. Avoid comparisons and uncover the opportunities in the face of setbacks so you can get back to the Peak. View Valleys as an opportunity and see it as “this is happening for me” rather than “this is happening to me”. There is always a blessing and something to learn when we face setbacks.

Lesson 3 - Appreciate and manage your good times wisely

Be humble and grateful when you’re flourishing. Celebrate the wins and the hard work that helped you achieve a goal but don’t standstill. We cannot sit at the table of success and enjoy the victory for months, we need to kick on and keep moving forward and progressing. Otherwise, we lose momentum and become complacent because we’re still living off a win that happened 6 months ago. Focus on doing more of what got you there in the first place. Plan ahead for the turbulent times ahead.

Lesson 4 - Follow your vision

Imagine yourself enjoying a better future in such a specific believable detail, that you can soon enjoy one day but only with focused action. A mental image of a future version of yourself is helpful as you know what you’re working towards and your everyday actions should be aligned to bring that future vision to fruition.

Lesson 5 - Share it with others

Share the ideas with other people so they can benefit too. Help them work through their Valleys so they can reach more Peaks. People become quickly discouraged when faced with setbacks and failure, if you can reassure them and help them apply some of these practices they’ll be able to bounce back quicker.

Hope the lessons from this book encourage you to practice them yourselves and even pick up a copy of the book if it has piqued your interest (no pun intended).

David

Resources Of The Week

• Book - Be Your Future Self Now by Dr Benjamin Hardy. As leaders, we need to visualise that future state and invest heavily. Ben’s highly practical book is about having a vision of your future self which makes your present more meaningful and optimistic. Recognising you’re constantly growing and what you invest in yourself today towards your future self will pay heavily in the years to come.

• YouTube - The Best Productivity Hacks of All Time by Ali Abdaal. This is gold. Ali is a popular YouTuber who has been studying Productivity for over a decade. In this video, he brings together the best productivity hacks to help you to be more effective and productive with your time.

• Blog Article - Leadership Styles by HubSpot. Whether you’re seasoned, new or aspiring to be a leader, knowing your style is really important so you’re aware of the impact it has. This article reviews the most common ones and talks through the benefits and shortcomings of each.

Quote of the Week

Last week’s issue: Elevating your Awareness: 5 Biases

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