Career Peaks and Valleys​

Just when you think you’ve made it, you start to slip. No career is a straight shot to the top. You’re up, you’re down, you’re moving sideways, you’re back up and then you’re down again.

It can be so frustrating at times, but get over that. That’s life.

It’s all peaks and valleys, and the trick is to keep on moving – no matter what. Don’t be surprised when you encounter obstacles. What will make you resilient is your ability to keep taking the next step – and then the next. If you get discouraged and give up, you’ve lost the big-picture perspective that reminds you that you just have to keep moving forward, even when you are only moving an inch at a time.

 The biggest challenge in all of these up-and-down moments is keeping your attitude straight so you don’t spiral downward. You know how that works: A little setback can become monumental if you allow your mind to distort it enough. Step back for a little context, and try to determine how each obstacle affects the whole of your life. Chances are, you won’t even remember two-thirds of your worries five years from now, so don’t let the crisis of the day mess with your mind. You’re just dealing with the same madness the rest of us are facing.

Whether you make a bad decision, mess something up, get a boss that doesn’t like you, are overwhelmed or drowning in a bad situation, your career will rise and fall. There will be times when you can blame yourself, and times when it just isn’t your fault.

You can see people who seem to have storied, unblemished careers, but when they start getting real, you hear their challenges, too.

When it gets rough, don’t dive into defensiveness or victimhood. In fact, feel what you need to feel, but make sure you leave yourself open to learn whatever lessons will come out of the experience. All of those ups and downs can make you stronger and more effective – if you are open to the learning.

If you are getting criticized or held down, repeat the affirmations that will help you through the challenge. Say, “This too shall pass. I am learning from this and will emerge stronger and more successful. Adversity doesn’t define me. It teaches me. I am strong enough to deal with this and any challenge I face.”

 Repeat, repeat, repeat until those words become your truth.

Sometimes, life gets so messy, you have a choice between dissolving into tears – or laughter. Yes, laughter. Because once you can laugh at the insanity of a situation, you can reduce your stress and start climbing out of it.

you just have to laugh at it.

When it gets tough, remember: You are not defined by your work. You are a whole person, with priorities, values and strengths that stretch well beyond your job. You can always pack up your brainpower and abilities and go elsewhere if necessary. Do not let a tough situation pull you down or make you doubt who you are.

It is easy to submerge yourself into the drama of the situation, and that is a terrible mistake because it makes your problems so much bigger than they need to be. If you feel sorry for yourself, remember: There are still women in this world who aren’t even allowed to work! There are women who live in violent homes where they have to worry whether they or their children will be killed. There are women who go in for a routine pap smear and find out they are going to die. And there are women who have no place to live. It goes on, and on, and on. Just think for a moment. As bad as it sometimes feels when we start to fall, we’ve still got it pretty good.

Learn whatever lesson there is to learn from your challenges. You’re at Earth School, learning to be a human being. The lessons and learning aren’t supposed be easy and aren’t supposed to stop. As tough as the bad times are, we can use them to know ourselves better, and find out how strong we really are.