There’s a lot of advantage to having emotional maturity in your business and life. Any fool can simply react to any slight or wrongdoing. Things will often not go as planned and that is the norm. There are just too many variables and other people in play to be able to control outcomes just the way you want.
But one thing you can keep your eye on is the unfolding of events that tend to play out. Pretend that your interactions with people are like a movie you have seen before. How will it play out if you are patient and simply watch what is happening without reacting?
You have seen the same characters, the same responses and the same plot. And when things don’t go your way, you can have a little patience and watch those predictable behaviors play out.
While you may be tempted to get justice now or ensure your point gets across, you could simply be cutting yourself off from the whole story. Sure, you may feel better getting your point across or winning a point right now. However, if you are not around because you create resentment in others or end a conversation before it goes through its natural emotional cycle, what win did you really gain?
Try playing the long game. That is thinking ahead and not reacting. Pick your moments when emotions are down and steer the course of your events with others towards your bigger goals.
This means you have to be clear on what you truly want and have a bigger goal in mind than simply reacting to the volatility of working with others in the trenches.
The long game means you are around to have influence. You don’t close down access. You understand that there are natural ups and downs. And being human means things are not perfect.
How can you shift to playing the long game?
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