Disappointments, Rejections, and Setbacks

So who HASN’T experienced a disappointment, setback or rejection? The thing is, nobody really wants to share that for the world to see. I certainly didn’t want to but guess what? My life isn’t perfect and full of roses and unicorns. I’m sharing right now my HUGE disappointment. I recently posted my excitement and enthusiasm with passing the National Board Exam for Health and Wellness Coaches but it didn’t come easy. What I am finally sharing is that I didn’t pass the first time I took it. I know I’m not the only one in the history of taking National Board Exams to not pass the first time but the fact that even a score in the low 80 percentage or 70s wasn’t good enough to pass, still makes it hard to say the word, “failed”. Even saying it or looking at it brings back a flood of emotions from sadness, disbelief, shock, embarrassment….you name it, I felt it. I had studied with a group, I used flashcards and I even took too many quizlettes to count, on which I always scored 90%or better. As an educator and certified fitness instructor, I have taken MANY exams in my life but nothing like the four hour, Health and Wellness coach Exam. I was numb for weeks. After a few months, I realized I was stuck in the mud and letting this test have way too much power over me. While I wasn’t required to sit for this exam and had already graduated and certified from and Health Coach program recognized by the board, I knew I had to make a decision. Either I would take the exam again or come to terms with this and put it to rest…LET IT GO! Being a faith based person, I prayed hard and decided to take it again but approach it completely differently. That is exactly what I did and for the past week, I have been so grateful that I passed on my second attempt. Today I listened to my Calm mediation app and knew it was the perfect time to share my story of disappointment in case someone else is going through it right now and may need to hear this. Today’s them was titled, “Lessons”. It was about learning to reframe the way we look back on past mistakes and failures. WOW! That really resonated with me. The message was about how my meditation practice teaches us to calm our emotions, and then we can choose to focus on what we have learned and how we’ve grown from the experience, reflecting on it with acceptance and gratitude. I can honestly say it has taken me almost the full year to calmly reflect and see that had I passed the first time, I probably would not have enrolled in another coaching program, namely…..The Mayo Clinic. While I loved my original training with the Functional Medicine Coaching Academy and learned so much, I was able to learn more and make more friends by not passing the exam the first time. I grew substantially as a coach. Life will come with disappointments, rejections, and setbacks but the lesson is in how we handle them and what we learn from them. Rachel Brathen, known as Yoga Girl on Instagram recently posted a vulnerable passage where she shared her take on rejection or not getting what you really want. She said not to look at anything as rejection but REDIRECTION. That is soooo powerful! Whatever disappointment, rejection, or setback you are facing today, you are not alone. Give it time. When you can calmly look at it without raw emotion, reflect on what lesson can you learn? Can you see how the world was redirecting for something else?