3 Positive Ways to Deal with Disappointment at Work
Feb 25, 2024
Disappointing results happen to everyone…
…me included. After hours and hours spent on a proposal, after being told, “It’s yours,” and after projecting it into our cash flow, the response came back, “We’re not going to do it.”
Hero to zero in 1.3 seconds.
Focusing on the positive and filtering out the negative is tougher sometimes than at others.
How do you deal with it?
Here’s what I did. They’re my 3 Positive Ways to Deal with Disappointing Results:
Take a Breath
Once you get news of the disappointing results, get up and do something different, preferably physical. If you just sit there, the stench grows worse. If you simply get in your car and drive away, the vehicle fills with funk really fast.
I get up from my desk and walk. My office is at home and our driveway is a quarter of a mile long, up a hill.
You can do the same around a parking lot. Or stop the car and meander through a park.
Take a breath. Give yourself at least a few moments to vent, purge, and exhaust the negative emotions assaulting you.
Take a Look Back
Next, take a look back. Glance in two directions with these questions:
- “When did I receive a similar disappointment and recover well?”
Remembering an experience like this one and looking at the reality of, “Hey! I’m still here and trying again” strengthens your courage and helps you gain heart to persevere.
I actually recalled some larger disappointments than this one. I recovered from that one and determined that I would this one, too.
- “What could I have done differently?”
There’s a lesson to be learned from every experience, positive and negative. You control only yourself.
I decided to avoid projecting cash flow until I have the contract and a deposit in the bank. What lesson will you learn and move forward?
Take a Boost
Finally, take a boost. Put on a favorite, positively feel good song and dance around. Or, read an inspiring blog. Or, call an ideal client who loves you, just to say “Hey! How’s it going?” Or, write down three positive experiences you’ve had lately that you’re grateful for. Or, go get a coffee and pay for the person behind you.
A boost removes you mentally and emotionally from the address of disappointment to an entirely new zip code of positive belief.
Disappointing results last a season. Positive success endures for a lifetime so take a breath, a look back, and a boost to create a positive work culture you can enjoy.
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