I’ve been watching Conan O’Brien for years now. I giggled at his and Andy’s antics when I was supposed to be sleeping, I tried to flawlessly perform the string dance, I literally squealed when I found out he was on Twitter. I’m firmly on Team Coco. Needless to say, I was disappointed and saddened when 9 months ago he was forced off the air in the whole Tonight Show debacle.
And so, as I watched Conan’s return to tv on Monday night I was quite pleased. But it also made me think about our plans and how easily they shift. How many times have you started something only to find out that life had other plans for you? You may have had the best intentions when you took on your new role or began a new project. You may have been totally gung ho and poured all of your heart and soul into it. And then for whatever reason it just didn’t work out. Maybe you were lacking resources or knowledge. Maybe the role changed or the program was canceled or you (gulp!) got laid off. Whatever the reason is, it always stings when something doesn’t work out as planned. You’ve probably blamed yourself for the failure or tortured yourself by replaying every moment in your mind. And you know what, it’s okay to feel bummed when something doesn’t go your way. It’s fine to pout and whine and cry. Get all of your ‘why me’s’ and curse words out in the open. You might even need to punch a pillow or kick a wall. It’s fine to wallow – for a bit. But then you have to suck it up. You have to get up, change out of your sweats, shake yourself off and start on a new plan.
Conan could have packed up his jokes and disappeared but instead he kept pushing forward. I’m sure he went through his own ‘woe is me’ phase but he powered through it. And he came out on the other side a stronger person. That’s precisely what makes the difference. We all get shot down and rejected, hell some of us get shot down quite a bit. But the difference lays in if you are able to pick yourself back up again and get back out there. So what if the old plan failed. That’s all the more reason to figure out a newer and shinier plan.
Look at the people you admire. They’re not awesome because they’ve never failed. No – they’ve been rejected and stepped on just like the rest of us. They’re rock stars because they dusted themselves off and kept pushing ahead.
Be Awesome. Keep pushing forward.
*************************************************************************************
Enjoy this post? There’s more where that came from – Sign up for the newsletter or join the Facebook Fan Page!
In So Cal? Then join our brand, spanking new Meet-up group: The Polka Dot Connection. Being a 20-something in LA is hard. Add a quarter life crisis to the mix and you’re likely to be on the edge. The Polka Dot Connection is here to help by providing a way for 20-something women to connect, learn and grow so you can kick that quarter life crisis to the curb. Check us out!
