Chip Chick
Now, assume you didn’t get the promotion. How bad would that be?
Yes, rejection sucks. But, outside of that, is it the end of the world? You still have a job. You can ask about future opportunities and ways to prepare for future promotion opportunities. Furthermore, you can ask the hiring manager how your interview went and see if it was as bad as you thought it was. Chances are, it wasn’t. Managers can easily offer feedback on interview skills, and you can look for career coaches to help you practice for future interviews.
The point is – the worst-case scenario is not always the end of the world. Be easier on yourself.
Step #6: Treat yourself the way you would treat a friend.
When you are a harsh self-critic, it can be tough to give yourself some grace. However, chances are it isn’t as hard to show your friends that grace.
Let’s say you bought the wrong cake for a party. You would probably torture yourself for that mistake. You would call yourself an idiot and every name in the book.
You are less likely to do that to a friend who made the same mistake. If your friend did it, you would probably comfort them, tell them it isn’t as big a deal as they think, and reassure them that nobody is mad at them.
We all make mistakes. So why are you so hard on yourself? Offer yourself the exact words of comfort and reassurance you would give your friend in the same situation.
Step #7: Take a both/and stance.
You can be critical of yourself and accepting of yourself at the same time. Balancing criticism with acceptance is an essential skill for maintaining your confidence in the face of failure.
Let’s go back to the work promotion from earlier. You can both be upset at yourself for bombing your interview and decide to seek out a career coach to help you work on your interviewing skills.
