7-Ways to Turn Around A Bad Mood

I met Valerie at the Charlotte Airport.

She welcomed me to the “Happy Zone” when I walked into a store to get a bottle of water.

I found my drink and went to the register where Valerie waited. She said, “Welcome to the Happy Zone” again, and rang up my purchase with a huge smile on her face.

I smiled back and commented that she was clearly in a great mood. Her response was simple and direct. She told me it wouldn’t be the Happy Zone if she wasn’t happy.

I was in a fine mood when I walked in. When I walked out, I had a broad smile on my face. I was truly happy.

Valerie’s mood was contagious in the moment, and here I am writing about her after-the-fact and smiling at the memory. You can bet that, if I find myself in Terminal E in the Charlotte airport again, I’ll stop in at the Happy Zone to see if Valerie is there.

We went to a nice restaurant to celebrate my mother-in-law’s birthday. Our waiter was great. He came over with a big smile. He wished Jo a happy birthday, took our drink orders and told us about the specials. One of the appetizers interested me and I asked him about it. He started to respond but before he could finish his sentence I said, “Never mind. You don’t think it is good. I don’t want it.” Even though he was saying all the right words I could tell he did not think it was good. What he believed rubbed off on me. I trusted him.

Your opinions and moods are contagious and your clients and prospects are immediately influenced by them.

If you’re happy, your client will sense it, and their mood will lighten.

If you believe in something your client is doing, they will believe in themselves.

Your mood has the power to influence everyone around you. I’m sure that you’ve walked into rooms where everyone seems to be dragging and before you know it, you’re dragging too. And I’m also sure that you’ve walked into situations where the exact opposite was true. Everyone felt excited, energized, happy, and ready to take on something huge, and before you knew what was happening, you were right there with them.

Your mood can help a prospect decide to work with you. Your mood can help a client go beyond what they believe to be possible.

Being an entrepreneur is hard and being in a good mood and feeling positive all the time is tough. Here are my favorite ways to turn my mood around so that I can help others turn their mood around.

1. Step outside. There is nothing like fresh air to relax you. Look at the trees. Look at the sky. Take in nature for just a few minutes.
2. Change your view. Are you cooped up in your office all day? Change rooms, go to a coffee shop, or head to the library.
3. Stand up and stretch. Exercise is so important. It doesn’t have to be much, just move your body and shake up the energy.
4. Stay well fed and watered. Are you the type of person who gets so wrapped up in what you’re doing that you forget to eat? Keep snacks and a bottle of water at your desk. Are you the type of person who snacks mindlessly? Make sure you have snacks nearby that support you. Bottom line, eat well and keep hydrated.
5. Take one action on something that has been hanging over you. A little success can turn everything around. Where can you get a little traction? What is one step that you can do that will move the big project forward just a little bit?
6. Reach out to someone you know is smiling. Talk with a friend, colleague or mentor who believes in you and can help you get back on track.
7. Smile even if you’re not feeling it. Our brains are not that smart. If we engage the muscles that make us smile, our brains believe we are happy and we become happy.

What are your favorite ways of turning your mood around?