If your plan fails, it doesn’t make you a failure; it means the plan needs improvement. So if something didn’t work, don’t blame yourself. Instead, take the opportunity to learn and try something new. Remember, no step is a misstep on your journey to the life you want to live.
Simply go through the chain of events in reverse and find the earliest moment it started to unravel, and ask yourself:
- “Who was I with, and where and when did it happen? Was this unexpected, and was I blindsided by it? What must I remember for next time?
- “What could I do differently?”; never, “What went wrong”. This subtle difference allows you to maintain power over the event and take action. You can always take control; you are never powerless.
- “Could I have rescued the situation but chose not to?”. And be honest, “Did I just give in”