We all deal with challenges, failures and disappointments at some point, and these five tactics can immediately help you recover better and faster. You’ll come out with fewer bruises and be on your way to regaining your confidence.
1. Quickly break down the game film. Immediately pause from any urge to beat yourself up. With as little emotion as possible, thoughtfully analyze your near miss. Ask yourself what could I have done differently? How could I have done it differently? What was my role in it? How do I ensure I don’t repeat the same mistakes next time? Questions like these help you plan what you will do differently next time (see No. 3).
2. Ask a trusted friend or teammate for their perspective. Find a good listener and supporter who holds you accountable. Ideally this person is someone with no agenda who wants you to be your best. Immediately after disappointment, a friend like this can help reset your compass.
3. Assign yourself an action that will prepare you for success. Program this action into your calendar reminders to give yourself a focus on the future possibilities and let go of what is in the past. Is there a morning or evening ritual that will help prepare you for success?
4. Dip into your confidence toolbox. This is what I call a collection of techniques to keep up your spirits and belief in yourself at its healthiest level. Referencing your confidence toolbox immediately after a “failure” can be incredibly empowering and help you move forward.
5. Share what you learned. Disappointment and failure offer important lessons like resilience that can benefit others. At the ecommerce site Etsy, engineers send emails to coworkers after something went wrong and how it can be avoided next time. This quick action helps the company minimize blame and cover-ups.
Your Game Changer Takeaway
Disappointment is no fun, but in the immediate aftermath, you still have choices about how to deal with it. It’s important to separate your results from who you are and continue to pursue your personal mission with the knowledge gained from your near-miss.
What helps you rebound from disappointment? I would love to hear from you on social media and keep this important conversation going to benefit as many people as possible.
The Molly Fletcher Company inspires leaders, teams and organizations to kick-start growth. A keynote speaker and author, Molly draws on her decades of experiences working as a sports agent. Her company’s Game Changer Negotiation Training workshops teach business people the framework for successful negotiating, so that you can close more deals while building stronger relationships. Sign up here to receive our weekly newsletter and subscribe to the Game Changers with Molly Fletcher podcast on iTunes.