Having a bad day? There is nothing like a bad day to ruin your productivity! These 10 quotes can help you get your focus in the right place and start taking action and being productive despite what’s happening in your day.
1. Which Direction Are You Looking?
This is one of those motivational quotes you should have printed or written out, and taped up in places you tend to look backwards instead of forwards.
When bad stuff happens, it’s easy to look in the rear view mirror and keep our focus behind us. But that’s when all motivation is lost. Why go on when all we can see is the failures, upsets, and obstacles?
Looking in the rear view mirror does nothing but keep us stuck in the past. If we want to get motivated, we need to look ahead of us and keep moving towards what we want.
2. If Worry Has You Down…
Worry sucks all motivation out of you. It keeps your focus on the road ahead of you, but your focus is made up of fears, concerns, and things that are not reality.
Instead of worrying, shift your focus to creating. Get up, get moving, do something – even if it’s small. As you start to create, you will start to see possibilities and feel more motivated to keep going.
3. Feeling Angry?
We all know that it’s hard to get motivated when you are feeling angry because you are too busy focusing on how angry you are. That anger consumes you and keeps you stuck in a very unproductive place.
For instance, a friend of mine phoned this morning and told me he got a $400 ticket for not coming to a complete stop at a stop sign in the country when no one else was around. He was angry, and he had spent the whole morning focused on how much he didn’t like that police officer who gave him such a high ticket. We talked for a bit, and once he stopped focusing on the officer and started focusing on the issue, he decided that even though the officer could have excused him or given him a smaller ticket, he had every right to give him a ticket. He declared he would come to a full stop no matter what from now on, and with that answer to his problem, he felt much better and started to feel motivated to get to work.
Here is another great quote about anger that can motivate you to get on with life:
Get mad, then get over it. – Colin Powell
In other words, allow yourself to get mad, but then shift your focus from your anger to the problem at hand and the answer to that problem.
4. That Bad Thing Could Result In A Wonderful Thing!
Sometimes you experience something awful, but it ends up putting you on a path that leads you to the most rewarding things you could imagine. I have had this happen to me many times.
For instance, when I was younger, I worked evenings at a hospital and I enjoyed it because it was quiet and my friends worked with me. We would spend hours goofing off because there was nothing to do. Then, one day, my boss told me that I was being moved to days. I was devastated. I hated waking up early and I didn’t know anyone on days. But, it turns out, that as soon as I started working the day shift, I met a guy in the hospital who also worked the day shift, and that led to a wonderful romance and relationship that is still going strong today. If I hadn’t been moved to the day shift, I likely would have never met him.
So, if you are having a bad day today because of something that happened, remember, it could have been something that helped you get on a different path – one where your perfect relationship, job, or opportunity is waiting! Don’t you want to keep moving to see if there is something awesome ahead?
5. It’s Possible To Get Out Of Your Bad Mood
A bad day can make you feel like a prisoner, stuck in your negative thoughts and emotions. But, it’s possible to escape. It’s possible to see something that makes you feel good, even when you are in the midst of a bad day. Sometimes, though, you need to look for it.
So, look for that funny video or talk to that uplifting friend. If you can get yourself into the emotion of joy – even or a few seconds, you have a good chance of getting out of the current mood you are in and into a mood that allows you to get motivated and start doing something productive.
6. Turn Off Your Analyzer
One of the tools I learned during a course called Duality through Mindvalley, was that you need to turn down your internal analyzer in order to get out of your head and, among other things, enjoy the moment.
When you are stressed out at work – or anywhere – your internal analyzer is working overtime. You are judging this and thinking about how wrong that is, and that critical thinking causes you to feel emotions like anger, worry, and sadness.
But when you turn down your internal analyzer, you stop thinking so much and start ‘being’ more. Enjoyment, fun, and good days are all the result of getting out of your head and getting into the present moment.
If you can’t turn down your internal analyzer on your own, I recommend doing something like meditation to help you slow down your thinking and get into that state of mind that allows you to be present and enjoy the moment.
7. Things Could Be Worse
A bad day could always be worse. For instance, my friend who got the ticket could have been in an accident. Yes, he’s out $400, but in an accident, he could have lost his life, lost his ability to work, and lost his entire income.
Things could be worse. And, as Kevin Bacon said, you need to remember that so that you can go on with your life.
Think about what could have been worse during your day. Be grateful that it didn’t happen.
Think about what could be worse in your life. Be grateful that it isn’t happening.
Then go forward, knowing that it could always be worse.
8. Don’t Get Stuck In Hell
Here’s the thing: If you feel like you are going through hell, why stand still and keep yourself in it? Get busy, take action, and keep going so that you don’t get stuck where you are.
Feeling like you are in hell should be a huge motivator to get up and be productive. There’s only one way out and your legs are the only legs that are going to walk you out of it.
9. Giving Up During A Bad Day Becomes A Habit
It may not seem like a bad thing to give up on your day. If you are having a bad day and you don’t feel like you want to keep going, you give up. You decide to stop doing what you need to do and give up on the day altogether. But, the problem with that is that it can become habitual to give up, and your productivity and success in life can pay the price.
Bad days are going to come – often. Things are going to happen that tick you off, upset you, or throw you off balance. That’s life. If you have a bad day one out of every two, you are going to waste half your life if you keep giving up.
Develop a positive attitude that no matter what happens, you are not going to give up. You are going to go through your day in a way that will ensure no regrets when your head hits the pillow. That’s an attitude that will get you far in life.
10. No Matter How Bad Your Day Is, It’s Still A Day To Start Something New
When my friend was diagnosed with MS, he didn’t consider it a bad day. Instead, he considered it a day that he could choose to start something new in his life. That may sound odd to some people, but he realized that the bad news was actually good news in disguise. It was the excuse he needed to start living a life that made him feel good and happy and free from regrets.
You don’t need a bad day to start something positive, though. Every single day gives you an opportunity to do something great – something that will be the start of you moving towards the life you want. When you truly believe that, you start to wonder what may be possible today, and you live with a sense of hope and faith that pushes you through any bad day life can throw at you.
So, what can you start today? Can you start a new habit? Could you be a better friend, spouse, or coworker? Can you do more of what you love and less of what you don’t like? Could you try harder in one area of your life? The possibilities are only limited by your imagination.
