6 Steps to Recoup From a Big Disappointment
The promotion you thought yours, isn’t.
Your doctor schedules you for a biopsy, given a suspicious mammogram.
Two people make snarky comments about your project in a staff meeting. Because there are two of them and they’re convincing, they influence your boss and he tables your project.
The guy you’d thought was “the one,” pulls away.
You feel shell-shocked. Flattened. Knocked off your feet. You want to crawl into a hole, preferably with a large carton of very good ice cream.
Can you get your mojo back? Here’s how:
The truth sets you free
Perhaps you made a mistake. Or someone thought less of you than you thought of him. Maybe, and despite your well-laid plans, you’ve been diagnosed with cancer or someone else landed the job opportunity you coveted.
When you embrace reality, you free yourself to move forward.
Put what happened in context
Revisit what happened or didn’t go right and consider what you learned to help you become a stronger, better person. What will you do differently next time? Criticism from you or others becomes an opportunity to learn. No failure defines you or your future. It’s not over when you fail; it’s over when you stop trying.
Dig deep
Every solution begins within you. Be confident in your potential. Regardless of what happened, you grow stronger and become tough enough to handle this challenge and future ones by growing the skills you need. Instead of judging yourself for the past, dig deep inside yourself to where your willingness to take on whatever comes springs forth. This becomes your starting point.
Hush the critic voices
If you let others define or undermine you, telling you who you are or what you can do, you hand the remote control for your life over to them. Build a mental armor by giving yourself credit for your talents and accomplishments. Are you genuine, caring, honest, responsible, perceptive, and loyal? Hey, I’d want you as my friend.
Take care of yourself
When you step into a “things fell apart” manhole, it drains your energy. Invest in yourself, by considering what you need that you’ve not been giving yourself, and give it.
Set a goal and step forward
When you set goals, you re-engage the thrill. Confidence grows from the outside in as well as the inside out. What’s important to you and what do you want for yourself in 2016? Whatever you decide, take action. Have you always wanted to sing? Sign up for voice lessons. Do you want to write? Pick up pen and start a journal or take an Internet-based writing class. “I’m beginning” has power that “I want to” lacks. Taking that first step builds momentum.
Is it time to get your magic back? You can do it by making a clear, unequivocal promise to yourself that you are absolutely committed to your journey, and can and will do everything in your power the live the life you choose.