Bouncing Back

At the age of 22, Oprah Winfrey was fired from her first television job as co-anchor for weekday news on one of Baltimore’s stations because she was deemed “unfit for TV” after the show received low ratings. Winfrey called it the “first and worst failure of her TV career.” But she rebounded and became the undisputed queen of television talk shows before amassing a media empire, according to articles at BusinessInsider.com.

Stories of failures to success fascinate many people, and we sometimes wish we are like the heroes of such stories. At the core of these stories, however, is the question all of us must answer, “Do we get back up stronger after we encounter setbacks?”

Not all of us are quick to recover from a setback. Some of us might find it too difficult to continue or call it quits. Of the many attributes rebounders are expected to have are the ability to accept failure, desire to take action, open mind for new ideas, ability to be comfortable with discomfort, and motivating passion, according to an article at USAToday.com.

Do we recover quickly after a setback or do we find it difficult to get back on our feet after a failure? Are we fearful of more setbacks awaiting us? Do we give up easily or do we shine taking up new challenges? Are we growing stronger and wiser learning from our past mistakes?

Failures and setbacks in life are lessons we learn and accept along our journey moving forward, so there’s no need for us to be surprised. With fervent passion, learn to buildup and grow our bouncebackability, so we might not quit easily. Find comfort amid discomfort and derive satisfaction within challenges. Open up to new ideas for action without confining to conventional ways or thoughts.

Voted Off

When the corporation I worked for failed to reach its targeted revenue for the year, it was announced the CEO would be leaving because of personal reasons, although everyone knew he was voted off the island.

As employees, many of us are also vulnerable to be voted off whenever a business or corporation restructures or fails to perform well. Sometimes we might be selected for layoff because of ‘personal reasons’ like our lack of exceptional performance, and at times because we outperformed our superiors or specially valued peers.

Are we upset or unhappy because we have been voted off the island? Are we feeling bitter or unjustified because of layoffs for the wrong reasons, such as outperforming or unwittingly crossing a person?

If we are, let’s not and let go. It’s not worth losing our head or heart over what’s gone. There’s no need for us to feel ashamed if we are asked to go for whatever the reason because with every closed door is another door waiting to be discovered. Stay upbeat for new challenges ahead.