Never had existed at a time in human history when something wasn’t going off track. The severity ranges from almost comical to tragic. Over tens of thousands of years of history, we have learned a few things. Things could always be better or worse depending on your perspective at a time and place. We’ve learned how we react and what are some of the coping skills.

It may range from losing a competition to losing a career, a loved one, or just a series of unfortunate incidents. As an individual, that lousy day may feel, at times, like 900 days. Your reactions can set you down a path that continues to look bleak. It may color your outlook and interactions for some time to come. You think of your life as wretched, cursed, or another colorful adjective. It’s too easy to make it into a descending spiral.

Here is a perspective for you. How you recognize the surrounding events and your readiness for that bad day may be more important than how you respond. Here are some skills you can put into practice.

Cognitive or psychological hardiness describes an internal personality style first introduced by Suzanne C. Kobasa in 1979. It is a series of personality traits that address how leaders manage stress. The Three Cs can identify as Commitment, Control, and Challenge. The Three C’s are broken out here for you to influence. There is more than we can unpack in a short article, but let’s set you in a direction.

• Commitment manifests as curiosity about the world (people, things, and events) and the things around you. I believe it is also the individual’s desire to understand causality. The stronger the desire, the better your ability to unpack an event.
• Control is an internal belief that you can directly influence and manifest change in the world around you. A desire to take direct action rather than let events overrun us.
• Challenge is the lessons the universe is built to provide us to learn and evolve.

You build traits for yourself by the way you manage stress. It is more than situational; it is built into who you are and, therefore, something you can influence. Everyone has stories of bad days. Yet there are those people we observe as they deal with life’s ups and down.

Have you ever noticed that people have their “go-to person” for dealing with specific situations? They are often described as “cool under pressure.” That trait is always evident.

What is your Three Cs or equivalent?