3 Steps to Getting Over Failure
To Hell with the Hustle.
It was a book cover you’ll never see for a client I’ve worked with for years. From book covers to merch, to podcast’s, and anything in between. Additionally, I had the opportunity to work alongside his publishers and develop the marketing and cover design for several of their other authors.
So, why am I telling you about a book cover that I didn’t design?
Because this is how you grow. You look at your mishaps, and failures and you grow from them. Maybe it’s also a little therapeutic to get it off my chest. I mean I spent weeks on this book cover, dozens of hours creating and tweaking with multiple revisions and re-dos. In the end, all that work will never be seen. The publishers had a different vision for the cover and developed a new concept that ultimately got chosen in the end.
Sometimes you work and you develop and you grind and it never sees the light of day. It’s devastating, and sometimes hard to get back up again and keep grinding. Sometimes you just completely get cut from a project or let go from a job and you are wondering how to keep going. Maybe it’s a relationship you’ve parted ways from and you’re struggling to put the ice cream down and get out of bed.
No matter where you find yourself, I’m with you. I’ve struggled through mistakes and frustrations. Both my fault and others and their decisions that ultimately affected me. It’s no fun and it’s tough to figure it out and keep going. But the truth is- you got this.
If you’re still struggling or are looking for some additional help, I’ve compiled 3 steps you can take to keep going and not give up:
Forgive them. There are plenty of opportunities to hold on to grudges and frustrations, but don’t let a project define your relationship. We all have opinions and when dealing with clients, or even friends, your relationship is more important. Sure, you might need to take a deep breath or wait a few days before texting or responding, but go ahead and set it in your mind that there are no burned bridges…. Or houses, or cars or whatever you feel like doing immediately after getting rejected.
Mourn your loss. Don’t sleep on the power of sharing the “what the world will never see” text with people you are close with. A quick text to unpack the joys, frustrations, and work that went into that project is healthy. Bottling it up and deleting it will only make things worse. Celebrate what you created and share it with others who can affirm your effort. Pro tip: Michael Scott Gifs go along way and can help loosen up the tension you’re feeling.
Keep Moving Forward. It’s not the end of the world, I promise. For some projects and the amount of time spent to see it all out the window, I’m sure it will feel like it. Don’t let the failure define you. Move on. You’re more than a missed opportunity. Even if it was all on you and you missed completely. Learn from it and grow. Don’t underestimate the power of putting on some headphones and blaring Jay-Z “Dirt Off Your Shoulder”. Successful people don’t get beat down. They get back up. Every time.
You’re not a failure.
This miss doesn’t define you.
Keep on grinding.
