“Light can be found in darkness if you but give light the time to do so. Seek peace when your mind is troubled and light will supplant the darkness.” -Greg Williams, The Master Negotiator & Body Language Expert
“Are You Okay With Down Time”
Are you okay with down time, being alone and doing nothing? Do you dread loneliness? Like everything that occurs in our life, we must maintain balance between our heart, mind, body, and soul. Having down time can help you shape what that balance should be.
Everyone needs down time. During such times, you can maximize the benefits that time offers by being more mindful of the things that you’re happy about versus placing your focus on the possible doom and gloom that’s in your life. That’s true because, the way we think becomes the way we feel. Take note of your emotional state when you feel lonely. First, you get a thought about feeling lonely and then, if you’re not mindful, you begin to act like you do when you’re lonely. If you took that same mindset and altered your perspective towards, “gosh, I’m happy for having this alone time”, you’d begin to experience a completely different realm of emotions. They’d be more uplifting and serve you better.
Peace and quiet brings forth serenity. Serenity calms the mind. When the mind is calm, it thinks more clearly. When you find that you’re in calamitous times, or just alone, use the time as the precious gift that it is. Don’t fret over down time or loneliness … and everything will be right with the world.
What does this have to do with negotiations?
In a negotiation, it’s only natural for emotions to run hot and cold. The degree is determined by the ebb and flow of the negotiation. Thus, some points in the negotiation can leave you feeling alone, besieged, and despondent (i.e. the other negotiator is obstinate and just won’t see things your way). It’s during such times that you must seek peace of mind. You can gain such by seeking down time, by placing yourself in a more quiet state of mind. It would be better for your negotiation efforts if you did so sooner than later. In such situations, you should seek peace and harmony for the benefit of enhancing your state of mind. The task of doing so would be to seek emotional stability.
A negotiation can be rigorous. Don’t allow yourself to be weighed down by the negativity of a faltering emotional state. It will only add to your woes. Be mindful of the state of mind you possess when you feel that it’s threatened. Doing so will promote your efforts to win more negotiations.
Remember, you’re always negotiating.