Here's how successful people deal with bad days

Even the happiest, most successful people have bad days.

"If we want to support sustainable happiness, we must also accept that tragedy will seep in," writes Brian de Haaff, CEO of Aha!, in a recent LinkedIn post.

"Bad news does not wait until a board meeting is over. Whether you work from home or in an office, are the CEO or an intern, you will feel lousy at work," he says. "Sometimes it's a low-grade malaise and sometimes it makes you sick."

In the post, which de Haaff was inspired to write after his sister-in-law died last week from breast cancer at the age of 40, he lays out what successful people do when they have a really bad day.

Here are two things they always do:

1. Acknowledge it.

"Feeling lousy is part of life," he says. "It is okay to feel pain and more important not to run from it. The most important thing you can do when bad news arrives is to take a moment to acknowledge it."

Talk to people about it, he suggests, "and shine a light on it through your words and actions."

2. Maintain a routine.

Successful people are disciplined, and typically live by good habits, he points out. "Hold on to as many of those habits as possible. Even when it's hard. It's why I kept working out last week - despite feeling sick."

He reminds readers that we can't stop bad things from happening - but we do have control over our reaction.

Read the full LinkedIn post here.