How to win through ups and downs

I was coaching with a dev who wants to build his career and advance, but his client just experienced a large layoff. Even thought my developer remained at the company he wasn’t sure what career growth looked like in a slower market. Should he leave and move to another company? Should he ask for a raise? Would that be a foolish thing to do when the company is downsizing?

He didn’t know where to place his energy in the middle of a downturn.

What do we do when it feels like things are slowing down or even moving backward? It can feel scary or disorienting. It can feel embarrassing or even disheartening.

Different not better

I recently started investing in crypto currency. It’s an entirely new world to me, so please don’t ask me for any advice on this subject, I’ll stick to soft skills thank you very much.

But, one thing that resonated with me, was when I asked a seasoned trader for some advice. He said “When the market is hot we win because our value and assets are high. When the market is low we win because we get to invest at a lower rate, we get to buy at a lower price, it’s like everything’s on sale and our investments give us more bang for our buck.”

I LOVED that perspective because it didn’t prioritize one set of circumstances over the other. They are different, not better.

When the market is high it’s not better than when the market is low - it’s just different. Each situation gives us different opportunities. The key is to see the opportunity in each circumstance and take the appropriate action that will capitalize on what is happening in that moment.

React vs. Respond

My question to the developer who wasn’t sure what to do was: “Where do you want to invest?” This is how we win through the highs and the lows - we see each situation as an opportunity and we play smart. We invest in the lows, we cash out in the highs.

We build trust in the hard times.
We leverage that trust we built into massive wins later.

We sharpen our skills in the down time.
We use those skills in the busy time.

We learn things when times are stressful that we CAN’T learn when times are peaceful.

Culture that helps you grow and thrive.
Innovative projects shaping the future.

Perception is everything

This Ted talk drastically changed how I thought about stress - I hope you watch the entire thing, but the main point was that it’s not stress that is damaging to our brains and bodies (as previously thought) but how we PERCEIVE that stress.

When we see stress as a bad thing, harmful, detrimental or dangerous, it become so in our bodies.

When we see stress as something that can help us grow, a stimulus for new skills to emerge, or even an exciting challenge - our bodies experience it completely different.

Perception is everything.

If we change our perception of a situation that we might have interpreted as “bad” or “dangerous” and instead see it as an opportunity, we change how we feel about the situation. We give ourselves the chance to feel empowered and excited by the possibilities rather than disheartened and frozen, unable to find a way forward.

Time for reflection

What is the most discouraging or stressful situation you are currently facing?

What is the hidden OPPORTUNITY presented to you? Are there skills that you can learn, resources you can reach out for, habits you can strengthen?

Where can you INVEST now, so you can profit in the future?