This week I was rejected twice. The first from a client that I thought was a sure thing. The second for a training offering. It nudged me a bit, but didn’t knock me down. In fact, this time around, it rebounded me into reflection and inspiration.
It hasn’t always been this way. In the early months of my business, I went through the roller coaster of high expectations to the pits of disappointment. I would meet someone and get super excited about the potential work and projects as if it was already happening. Nine times out of ten, these situations wouldn’t work out and I would be left feeling dejected and worthless. I’d stay in bed for the day, eat a bag of sour cream and onion chips and watch a full season of a Netflix show. I would question my path and consider going back to the safety of a 9-5. Eventually I’d call a friend or my mom to shake me out of my funk and force me to take a shower and face the day.
Thankfully I’ve shortened my bounce back from rejection. Here is my Toolkit for Rejection Repair.
1) Track Your Wins – Every day you win. You’re alive and aware. Just look around and look for the wins. They are there for you. Write them down and remind yourself how lucky you are.
2) Lessons Learned – When things don’t go your way, think of 3-5 things that you learned in the process. What can you apply going forward to have a better result? What did you do great? What are you proud of?
3) Brainstorm New Opportunities – You can be sad, but only for a little bit. You have work to do! Set your timer for ten minutes and come up with twenty ideas to add value to your business, bank account or bottom line. By putting yourself in an opportunity mindset, you’re already on your way out of the funk.
4) Practice Self-Care – When things don’t go your way, do something nice for yourself. May a cup of tea, go for a walk, call a good friend, snuggle with a random puppy, or whatever makes you feel warm and fuzzy inside. If that doesn’t work, pop on your favorite song and sing at the top of your lungs while dancing like a Disco Queen. When you take care of yourself, your perspective will shift to positive growth.
These are just a few things I use. My clients have adopted variations of these strategies to cope with their shifting wins and challenges. Try some on and tweak as necessary.