There are many times in life where things don’t go as planned. This can be stressful, especially if you’re a “Type A” kind of person. You want things to be done in a certain way and in a certain order. But if it doesn’t? How do you react? Does it get you all bent out of shape?
I have found that the easiest way to deal with a situation is to stop and think, does this really matter? And the answer is usually maybe, but not really.
Everything that we do builds on one another. Every success and every failure is a chance to learn and grow. And unless there is an irreversible and incorrectable (I think I just made up that word) action, then it doesn’t truly matter. The stumbling blocks that feel big today will hardly be a memory in a month, let alone 10 years from now.
Try to keep things in perspective. Most things that we face on a day-to-day basis do not have a life-altering effect. That being said, it is our actions that define us. Make sure that you are acting in alignment with your moral values and make adjustments as needed along the way. Work on making the right decision always, but if you don’t, don’t beat yourself up. Learn from it and move on. Realize that nobody is perfect, no matter how much they seem to have their life together.
Lastly, if you feel that you did everything in your power to make things right and you still didn’t get the result that you want, realize that this happens in life. Go back and analyze what you did and how you can improve, but don’t dwell on the past. Do this once to learn from it, then clear it from your mind. Don’t change your ethics and cut corners, thinking that it will get you a better result. Because at the end of the day, you have to look yourself in the mirror and be ok with the decisions that you made. Focus on the actions/behaviors, not on the results, and remember to think to yourself, does this really matter?