Falling Off the Skinny Branch

It was just one of those kind of days. I had an opportunity to show up and perform at my best. Oddly enough in the heat of the moment, I decided to go out on a limb and do things differently than I had planned. I thought "Why not use this opportunity to stretch myself? Who knows, maybe it could be playful and fun." Although it started out as playful and fun and I felt like I was rocking it, there came a point that it became difficult and I ended up falling off the branch.... (at least I think I did).

I spent most of the day thinking about the situation. I  analyzed it and came up with a variety of ways I would do it differently if I could be like Marty McFly and travel back in time.  The reality is that I am not Marty McFly . I cannot travel back in time to do a redo or take a Mulligan. Thinking about the situation in this way was not only a waste of my time; it was also a waste of my energy. So, what did I do about this? How did I move forward?

I found a quote from Nelson Mandela and embraced it. "I never lose. I either win or I learn."

At the request of my amazing coach, I wrote a list of all the things I did well. After reviewing this list, I not only noticed where my negative Nelly (a.k.a. Mother Gothel) was directing my focus, I also noticed that a majority of the things I did were right on target. So, I did something to celebrate those successes. I bought myself a new item at my favorite store and got together with a friend who offered me encouragement and an enormous amount of laughs. Additionally, I acknowledged where I had an opportunity to grow and created a plan to improve. Later, I went home to shower and shed a few tears. It felt great to wash off the blues and let out all of the negative energy that had been holding me captive.  Finally, I remembered that tomorrow is a new day. It is an opportunity to start fresh. It is like a blank canvas. I wait in anticipation to paint a more playful and fun day. I am excited to discover what's possible as I calmly say "good-bye" to today.

How do you move forward when things don't go according to plan?