When you get knocked “off center” by unexpected problems, how long does it take you to recover?
Our reader poll today asks: When you get knocked “off center” by unexpected problems, how long does it take you to recover?
- A few minutes: 23.86%
- An hour or so: 27.23%
- A few hours: 17.60%
- A day or two: 24.33%
- Several days to a week: 6.98%
Returning to center. There’s no shortage of things to knock us off balance. Events big and small can throw us off at any given time. What’s important is how quickly you’re able to regain your center and get back in balance. For the large portion of you that get thrown off for a day or more, don’t feel bad about it, but do look to do something about it. Find a way to regain your perspective faster. Whether it’s exercising, taking a walk, talking with a friend or co-worker, listening to music, meditating or any other form of resetting yourself, you’d do well to try it.
Being off center for too long affects performance, stress and general happiness with the world around you. Let yourself experience the stressor, react to it, but then quickly put it in its place. You’ll find that regular application of these skills will reduce the amount of time it takes you to get back to center and back in balance.
Do you agree with these poll results? Let us know in the comments below!
– Mike Figliuolo at thoughtLEADERS, LLC
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These results were originally a SmartPulse poll in SmartBrief on Leadership which tracks feedback from more than 240,000 business leaders. Get smarter on leadership and sign up for the SmartBrief on Leadership e-newsletter.
The responses can depend upon the respondents’ understanding of what recovery means. I may get knocked off center mentally, but if I do not BEHAVE differently, then I may consider that recovering quickly. If I encounter something that causes me to behave differently, then to return to be on center may take more than becoming mentally aware, refocusing, and moving on. It may take relationship repair–rebuilding trust in a colleague or client–which can take longer. This is why I practice pausing my behavior when surprised. It’s hard, but it can help with the time to return to your center.