What Do You Do When Things Don’t Work Out?

For those who follow me on this blog, you know I am all about getting out of your comfort zone. It’s essential in order to grow, and growth is necessary if you are trying to achieve big things. 

The hard part is dealing with the frustration when things don’t turn out as planned. As much as you know it’s a possibility, it still hurts at the moment. 

What do you do when everything you thought you wanted turns out to be awful? 

For the longest time, I thought working for myself was the answer to all my prayers. I finally got the nerve to take the leap. At first, it was absolutely amazing. The problem was the amazing part was not working! After I really got started in career coaching, I learned that I get drained quickly. I worked part-time for an outplacement firm and then had my own coaching company. I enjoyed helping people but hated trying to find clients.

With my part-time job, I could just talk to people but got paid peanuts. On my own, I could charge a lot more but was spending 75% of my time selling. Let’s just say getting someone on the phone is nearly impossible. Eventually, I realized I was working a lot harder and on a lot lower level work than I had since my first job after college. I got to a point where I hated it. 

The Freak-out

After deciding that I just had to go back to corporate America, I remembered all the things I had learned studying successful people. I am super stubborn, so it took me going through a five-person interview process for a job I didn’t want to realize that going back to corporate was not my only option. Luckily for me, I didn’t get the job. While I was initially a little disappointed, I realized the reason I wanted it was to take the easy route. I was trying to go back to my comfort zone. 

Coming Back To Reality

After that occurred, I forced myself back to the drawing board. I do like coaching; I just don’t want it to be my be-all-end-all. So I started thinking through other options. I believe this is important to share because I believe this is going to be a reoccurring theme. 

Whenever we move out of the safety of what we have always known when things seem to fail, it’s an excuse to give up. Now that I have had this happen, I will know I need to regroup. 

Persistence

I am coming back to something that I have been preaching for at least the past year. Persistence is key. That’s the central theme I got from Napolean Hill’s famous Think and Grow Rich, and it’s true for me. 

As someone who has always been a people pleaser, I have realized through reflection that I am succumbing to other people’s opinions. I never wanted one source of income, so I don’t need to go all-in on coaching. I let other people make me think it was what I was supposed to do. The same thing with going back to Corporate; I thought it was what everyone wanted me to do. 

The Road Ahead

I am still on this massive personal development journey, but I am predicting this will continue to happen. It’s tough when you don’t have anyone to talk to that is on the same journey. I am lucky in that I do have people to fill this for me. They push me and remind me of the things I have said, especially my teen daughter! If you don’t have someone in your corner, I would love to help. Email me at erin@careerdesigns.net. 

How do you deal with challenges? Let me know in the comments!