A real train wreck happened, and we feel we’re responsible.
We’ve been letting something slide.
There were things we didn’t clarify.
We’ve been kind of lax, not dealing with something – not taking something seriously enough, maybe even hiding out a bit.
And then – wham! – the bottom falls out and now we’ve got a real mess on our hands.
Oh, that gut sinking feeling – “How could I let this happen – I feel so responsible!”
Then comes the part where we start beating ourselves up.
We’ve caused some suffering and we feel terrible.
We’ve all been there, and there is little I can say to help prevent you from feeling like that.
What I can offer, in this little note, is to help you shorten the duration of feeling like that.
Going through situations like this are necessary steps of growth.
Good for you for walking this path!
Professional maturity is demonstrated by how quickly we can reframe things for ourselves and integrate our learning.
“OK, it’s happened. The final responsibility rests with me. Beating myself up is not going to help. What immediate steps are needed? What’s my learning going forward? How will I do things differently in the future?”
Good lessons aren’t cheap, and they are the foundation of what it means to be experienced.
There’s no detours around situations like this. We’re here to develop and grow, we’ve signed up for this.
Take some deep breaths, know you are not alone, and take a moment to appreciate the nature of profound growth.