Have you ever made a really bad decision, one that seemed to have far-reaching, negative implications?
No? Me either.
But let’s say, for argument’s sake, that we’ve done that before. Or, at the very least, that it feels as though our bad decisions had far-reaching, negative implications.
How do you bounce back?
The first thing you MUST do: separate the bad decisions from who we are. We are not our decisions. We can make any number of decisions – and there are countless opportunities to make new decisions (especially given past decisions… or in spite of past decisions).
We are not our decisions.
Did it have a negative impact on your career? On your reputation? Maybe. And you still aren’t your decision.
Did it have a negative impact on your friendships, or you marriage, or you family ties? Could be. And you still aren’t your decision.
The decisions we made could have been bad. The actions we took could have been disastrous.
All true. And we don’t have to make it mean that we are bad at our jobs and relationships. We don’t have to make it mean that we act disastrously.
We just made poor decisions. And the very next decision doesn’t have to be poor at all.