It's that time of the year again, and the Christmas shopping rush is on! You're selling on eBay or another platform and, hopefully, watching your sales numbers rise steadily as the days quickly move on through December. Everyone should be happy and the holiday cheer should be rising up in all our hearts, right?
Well, maybe not in everyone. Perhaps you just shipped a book to a buyer who insists that it's not what they expected—even though your listing was very clear and concise about every conceivable detail. Or maybe you just spent hours researching a new batch of items that you're ready to list and your computer dies. Literally. You can't list, your data is lost, and you'll have to spend a lot of money to get your computer repaired so you can continue to make a living selling online.
What does this all translate to? Certainly not "Christmas cheer!" You're feeling more like the Grinch than Santa Claus, and the tension is building. The holiday season can be a stressful time for anyone, but especially so for a business person dealing with technology and customers. What can you or I do to make sure our interactions and emotions are not derailed by stress this holiday season?
Here are a few tips to help you stay calm when you feel the pressure rising.
Take time to exercise each day
Exercise is one of the best stress relievers in the world. Exercise helps you to sleep more soundly. Exercise causes your brain to release endorphins into your blood stream and immediately improve your mood. Exercise is probably the best, yet most underused way to alleviate stress.
Take time to get just a few minutes of light exercise in every day, and you will be amazed at how much your outlook on life improves.
Have you ever noticed that just acting like you're happy can sometimes make you actually feel happy?
Take time to stop and just breathe
Take a break from the grind for awhile. You're not required to work 25 hours a day, eight days a week. As an entrepreneur, you may suffer from that age-old malady of working too hard without giving yourself a much-needed and very productive break from time to time. Believe it or not, you will get more done when you're well rested than when you're tired.
Send grateful messages to your buyers
The act of sending a positive message to your satisfied customers can elevate your stressed-out spirits. Have you ever noticed that just acting like you're happy can sometimes make you actually feel happy? It is funny how that happens.
If you're feeling frazzled from the holiday workload and the occasional grumpy customer, take the advice of a popular ditty from the '80s: Don't worry, be happy. It really works!
Learn to see life as it is
Life happens. Stress-inducing things occur all the time. They're not personal. They are a part of life, and a part of doing business. Teach yourself to see that these situations are nothing special and they are not personally aimed at you. This objective outlook will go a long way to easing the stress in each circumstance.
Take it from me, as an eBay seller, you will always have the occasional difficult buyer. Learning to see them as just a normal part of everyday business will put every experience in the proper perspective.
Be thankful for your success
If you feel overwhelmed because you're suddenly selling 10 times what you're used to selling each week, then it's time to be thankful for the cause of your stress. You are becoming more successful!
Instead of focusing on the increased workload, focus on the increased sales. The point is, it's often what you think about that either makes you unhappy or happy. Remember this: You get to choose what you put your mind on, and how you frame your experiences. I say, look at the good side and let the season be what it's meant to be—a merry Christmas and the start of a happy New Year!
Danna Crawford, CEO of
PowerSellingMom, Inc., has been a successful
eBay seller since 1997. In 2008, she received eBay's Community Hall of Fame award, as well as the Golden Ribbon Community Seller Award from eBay Giving Works. As an eBay Certified Education Specialist, she teaches at the community college and university levels, and frequently speaks on topics such as how to make money blogging, writing eBooks and more. Crawford can be heard every Friday night on her Internet radio show,
PowerSellingMomRadio, and in weekly webinars at
VirtualOnlineLearning.com.
Opinions expressed here may not be shared by Auctiva Corp. and/or its principals.
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