Have you ever had a time in life where you feel like nothing you do is going right? You try really hard at something or maybe a number of things but they just don't turn out right. You end up feeling like you're a total failure.
I've been going through a time like that. It took me so long to get over my issues with change and to rebrand the blog. Yet around every corner with this rebrand things seem to not be going right. From issues to get my old URL to forward to multiple layout issues that I've spent hours trying to fix only to have it continue.
Now I've had my Pinterest account suspended. I already felt like I was failing at getting any traction with connecting with people on my social media platforms but at least Pinterest was a good one for me.
I've felt like the past couple of years my Pampered Chef business has been frustratingly not working. I try to connect with customers and book shows but it's just barely limping along.
All of these things have added up to this overwhelming feeling of failure lately. I've been really beating myself up over all of these things for days and weeks.
After a crummy day today I sat down and started to think through my feelings of being a failure and come up with a game plan on how I'm going to stop feeling like a failure and a loser dead in its tracks.
Allow yourself a short wallow
It's ok to wallow after you've failed. Failing at something can be really difficult. Maybe you've tried your hardest for years to create this amazing business and then the pandemic happened, completely wiping it out.
That is a pretty devastating and totally warrants some wallow time.
The problem is when we get into the doldrums and keep wallowing for such a long period of time that we don't bounce back from our failures.
Don't let wallowing and the doldrums be your new state of being. Brush yourself off and start again.
Connect with your support system
We all have our different support systems, whether it's family, friends, work colleagues or your pet. When you're feeling like a failure reach out to whoever is your support system.
Your support team should be there to help level set you. Making sure you know that a little failure like not being able to get an old blog URL to stop showing on the bottom of your posts really isn't the end of the world you feel like it is.
A support system should also help you lift your spirits and be there to listen when you need help.
Who do you consider to be a part of your support system?
Look at all you have accomplished
One area I feel like I've failed at lately is my Pampered Chef business. I look at how I'm not booking shows or getting orders regularly.
When I stop and actually look at what I have accomplished with my business it's pretty awesome. I've been able to keep my business going for over 10 years and I've had over $50,000 in sales. For someone who works it as much as I'm able to I feel like that's a pretty awesome accomplishment.
When we're in the thick of things and they're going wrong it can be tough to see what we've accomplished. Step back and really take time to find those accomplishments.
Stop the comparisons
This is the most difficult one for me. I am terrible at this. With social media being everywhere I think it's a tough one for a lot of us.
I've been trying to build my blog for a long time and it can be tough when I see other bloggers who have been around for less time have lots of comments and their numbers shoot up. I'm sure I'm not the only one who sits there and says what's wrong with me and why don't people like me.
We have to stop comparing ourselves to others. I just watched The DUFF the other day, it's one of those teen movies I enjoy watching, I'll let you look up the plot. Needless to say at the end there is the growth moment and she says "There's always gonna be somebody prettier or more talented or richer than you, but it shouldn't affect how you see yourself."
Since I had been wallowing in my failure for a good little while when I watched the movie this past weekend I felt like I was smacked in the face with that sentence. We need to stop comparing because there will literally always be someone we can compare ourselves to and it's just not fair to yourself.
Set new goals
So you failed at the goals you set before. So what? Set new ones asap!
Just because you failed at these goals doesn't mean your going to fail at the next ones. It took Edison thousands of tries to make the light bulb. When asked he said something along the lines of didn't fail just figured out thousands of ways not to make a light bulb, set a new goal and tried again.
We just need to get ourselves together, realize we found another way not to reach a certain goal and make a new one.
Setting new goals will also give you a purpose which can be very helpful for getting you out of your wallowing. Look at me I was wallowing today and feeling completely defeated about things. On my drive home I said to myself you know what I'm going to take that and share it in a post that will help myself to think through how I feel about failing and hopefully someone else!
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