Let’s Be a Pirate During Our Low Times
Have you watched the “One Piece” drama on Netflix? (No spoilers below.)
The adventures are exciting. It’s also inspiring to see the characters overcome obstacles, failures and others’ doubts to follow their dream.
However, we all know that it’s not easy in real life.
We struggle with no progress and feel low from time to time. It’s painful. And with our lives built around social media, we often see others’ success and how people seem to effortlessly achieve their goals in areas of academics, careers, family, social life, personality and body shape, making us feel like we’re always behind.
Sometimes, it’s hard to pull ourselves out of a low point with only positive energy. We need guidance on what we can actually do to make things better.
Last month, the Harvard Business Review wrote an article about tips for moving forward when you really need a win. I add a few of my thoughts and combine them with a pirate scenario. I’m also trying these methods whenever I feel low. You are not alone. Let’s go on the journey together.
Let’s begin.
Imagine you’re in the story of One Piece. Your goal is to find the mythical treasure. One day, you’re attacked by a sea monster. Your pirate ship is broken, and you drift off course to an unknown coastal town.
To get back on course, you need to make some preparations.
🏴☠️ Take Out the Map, Locate Your Current Situation
See where you are, and clarify what’s happening right now. Facts only, no judgement.
1. Getting Lost or Frustrated is Temporary
Life has its ups and downs. We have moments of peak performance, and we also have times when we’re attacked by sea monsters and get hurt. But this won’t be the case forever.
2. It’s Not Your Fault for Being Attacked by Sea Monsters
You know it’s not your fault for being attacked by sea monsters, right?
But when things don’t go well at our work or in life, why do we always think it’s because we’re not good enough? Everyone has his/her journey. The time needed to achieve one’s goals are also different.
You’re not lacking effort, you’re just still on your way.
You may need to redirect your route, work on your personal skills and repair your pirate ship. Try to keep your focus on the next voyage and start sailing.
3. Resting and Recovering is Important
Sometimes, you just need to stay where you fall for a moment, and don’t try to get back up immediately. When things aren’t making progress, moving forward is not the only choice. Give yourself some space and time. Realize that “I’m still adjusting, I need time.”
🏴☠️ Choose Your Crews Carefully, Seek Help when Needed
In the pirate world, you need to carefully select your crew. In real life during low times, you need friends and colleagues who you feel most comfortable with. Seek help from them if you need any.
Exclude people who make you doubt yourself. If they are not the right crew for you, don’t let them get on your boat.
🏴☠️ Collect Useful Tools in Your Inventory
Focus on the good things. They are the best tools to help you set sail again.
1. Celebrate Small Wins and Regain Control
#Small accomplishment
It feels great to have a big victory. Yet big victories are rare. Instead of waiting a long time for a big victory, celebrating small ones is a good way to see progress and encourage ourselves.
Small wins could be as small as it can be.
A routine task that usually takes half an hour only took 20 minutes.
Read a book you’ve been wanting to read for 5 minutes before bed.
Over time, you’ll see how small wins accumulate into big victories, giving you a sense of accomplishment and motivation to keep going.
2. Recognize Your Own Advantages and Increase Confidence
#Good things you do
Research shows that writing down five things you’re grateful for every day can increase happiness. However, during low times, we might not have the energy to be grateful to others.
If that’s the case, think about your behavior today, and write down what you did well. It could be as simple as saying “thank you” to a clerk. Over time, you’ll see a positive image of yourself in your notes.
3. Cherish Progress and Drive Away Negative Thoughts
#Things that are going well
Even if it seems like nothing is going well, if you look closely, you’ll still find some small things that are moving in the right direction. We often overlook good things if we don’t try to find them.
Write down what’s progressing smoothly every day. Maybe you’ll find that the whole world is not against you even if it feels that way.
🏴☠️ Use Success Stories as Motivation
In the pirate world, there’s a king of the pirates. Who are the people in real life whose success you hope to achieve?
Make your model list, but don’t compare or blame yourself for not being as good as they are. Use them as a headwind to push you forward. Remember: Measure the gain, not the gap.
🏴☠️ Stay Motivated by Staying Curious
We can’t be 100% enthusiastic like an anime protagonist all the time. When passion fades, let curiosity helps you sail further.
The curiosity doesn’t have to be big enough to be interested in everything. A simple mood change of “What will happen if I take this route? Who will I meet?” is pretty good. You can also see yourself as a character by thinking “I’m curious about how the story will develop next?”
Every step of the way is a small experiment and a chapter of a story. Maybe, what follows your next step is something unexpected and beyond imagination.
🏴☠️ Draw a Bigger Map by Exploring More
Explore more possibilities and find new ways out.
When we’re in a low point, we might shut ourselves off. But it’s better to expand your horizons and find new opportunities.
Our behaviors and thoughts grow out of what we know. Expanding what we know will broaden our thoughts and imagination, and thus affect our behaviors, possibly the situation we are facing as well.
Explore anything you’re interested in (books, YouTube, Posdcast, TV shows, etc.), or talk to friends and family. Maybe a sentence or chapter will resonate with you and lead you to a new way out.
💡 Key Takeaways RECAP
When you’re in a low point, with no progress in life or work, think of yourself as a pirate, doesn’t it sound cool?
You can try:
🏴☠️ Locate Your Current Situation
🏴☠️ Choose Your Crews Carefully
🏴☠️ Take Inventory of Helpful Tools
🏴☠️ Use Success Stories as Motivation
🏴☠️ Stay Motivated by Staying Curious
🏴☠️ Draw a Bigger Map by Exploring More
I hope these will help you move forward just as they help me in my low times.
Meet you on the other side, Pirates.
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