When The Deal Goes Down - 3 Things You Can Do

Disappointment.  It happens to us all.  There are minor disappointments - oversleeping, not getting something you want for a present, breaking a guitar string at a crucial moment, losing a piece of musical equipment, etc.  Then there are major disappointments - not getting the job or loan you applied for, getting laid off, having a car wreck and missing your gig, etc.  But these are still not major life tragedies.

Like the Richard Carlson book says, "Don't sweat the small stuff (and it's all small stuff)".  This can be SO hard to remember.   But a disappointment is NOT a major life tragedy.  

3 things you can do to remember this.

1)  Take it easy - Be gentle with yourself.  Take yourself out to a movie or dinner, take a nap, take a walk, take the night off from your usual activities.  If you are like me (a type A go-go-go personality), then this can be the hardest step, especially if you feel like the disappointment is something you caused.

2)  Make a gratitude list - Do it quickly.  10 things you are grateful for.  I'll start it for you:

1)  You have running water, hot and cold
2)  You have a roof over your head
3)  You have enough food for today
4)  You have enough clothing for today and tomorrow
5)  You have a guitar

Maybe you don't have these things;   if not, cross them off.   If so, then you are ahead of HALF the world.  This is truly something to be grateful for.   I'm not trying to make you feel guilty - just trying to put it in perspective.  Like Rob Brezhny's book Pronoia says, "At least 50 million sub-atomic events had to happen to get you into the shower this morning."   Be grateful for what you have, even if it feels like pulling teeth.  Being grateful is like a muscle - the more you do it, the more grateful you are.

3)  Take action - The antidote to depression is action.   Take action.  Massive action.  Don't make one job call, make 50.  Take all that energy that it takes to be depressed and put it to good use.   Like Duke Ellington said about his prolific composing, "I just took all the energy that it takes to pout and wrote some blues."   Start small though.  It can be daunting to go from 0 to 60 in 5 seconds.  But honestly, the hardest part is getting started.  It's much much harder to make 1 job call than 10.  By #7, you'll be in a groove.

Practice Beginner's Mind.