If pam wears a green hat, and Jeff dislikes triangles, what are Mindy’s hopes and dreams?

(Originally published on LinkedIn in September, 2020)

Well, I never thought I had a problem with verbal reasoning. Until now.

Or rather, a potential employer has a problem with my (lack of) verbal reasoning.

I’m tired and have spent all day on one application. I submitted it and to my relief it was accepted. I was then asked to do a numerical reasoning test. Oh dear. I expected to fail — I knew it wasn’t one of my strengths. However I must have been really rocking my calculations on how many widgets Acme company can produce on the first Thursday after Lent because I passed it with 93%!

On the giddy tail of that triumph, I plowed ahead with the verbal reasoning test. On reflection, I think I may have been guilty of overthinking, having mini existential crises over whether Bob can attend athletic training on Friday when he also has a job at the kennels. It was a fail.

“Let everything happen to you: beauty and terror. Just keep going. No feeling is final.” Rainer Maria Rilke

Over the last few years I have begun to learn how to become more resilient. There are three things that stand out to me as my ‘go to’ touch points, whenever I need them:

1. Enjoy and learn from successes and mistakes — the “beauty and terror”. It’s not nice to mess up. Even less so in a work situation, but those who scoff at others’ failures and learn nothing from their own are the losers. Embrace it. Share it. Apologise for it if needed, just remember and learn from the experience.
2. Just. Keep. Going. By all means change direction after a mistake, but keep on with whatever end goal you have in mind.
3. It will be better in the morning — “No feeling is final”. If you feel like that feeling isn’t ever leaving you — ask for help. From family, colleagues or professionals. Be kind to yourself. It always gets better.

So, with the above in mind I have learned from this mistake today — don’t overthink, don’t rush and don’t be too hard on yourself (even though I am kicking myself!). I will get up tomorrow with the same optimism I started today with, and do better than I did today.

Originally published at https://www.linkedin.com.