Within 24 hours, I had signed a new client and lost another client.
On a Monday afternoon, I left a meeting with a prospect I’d been nurturing for months. We agreed that now was the right time to start working together.
The next morning, I received a call from an existing client who said they needed to put our agreement on hold.
It had nothing to do with me. But there were some circumstances that required us to take a break from the work.
I believe there are a few pivotal moments in your career that show you what you’re really made of. This was one of mine.
There are two ways I could’ve responded to these events…
The first response is one that we all know too well.
Look for someone or something to blame. Bad mouth the client to anyone who’s willing to lend an ear. Wallow in a pool of self pity for as long as possible. Eventually, get over it and move on.
This response didn’t seem very appealing.
The alternative response takes a little bit of reflection, soul-searching and gratitude to arrive at.
Look for the opportunity. Find the silver lining. Focus on what you’re going to do next, not on what happened before.
Thankfully, I chose the latter.