We’ve all been there… The unexpected happens. You plan a trip but your flight gets cancelled. You’re training for a marathon but you sprain an ankle. You save money for something but your car breaks down. It’s a part of life that’s hard and stressful to manage. And whether it happens in your business or in your personal life, a wrench in your plans can be disheartening.
But it’s all about how you handle it.
Last week I had a big wrench thrown in my plans within my business. It happened before a holiday weekend. I was already dealing with a lot of anxiety. And then I got sick. Isn’t it funny how things always seem to pile on like that? However, it reminded me to stick to what I know. To be positive, transparent, and resilient. And, maybe most importantly, to give myself grace.
The Wrench in My Plans
I won’t go into too many details, but the wrench in my plans had to do with my business Facebook page. Months ago we switched from the “classic” business page version, to the new version. About a week ago we were doing some updates on the Facebook page, and somehow those updates forced the Facebook page back into the “classic” version. Apparently when you do this, it deletes all the posts made under the new version.
And so, six months of posts, engagement, and community discussion was gone! Along with all of the ads that we’d made. My engagement absolutely tanked. I talked with my team, reached out to people who know more about Facebook, and tried to make connections with Facebook support. But at the end of it all, we all came to the realization that there was no way to get the posts back.
Moving Forward
I wasn’t sure how to handle it. Maybe we could backdate the posts to replace the big gap on the Facebook page? Or repost in real time? But ultimately we decided to just be transparent about it with my community. The really sad thing is the loss of all of those great comments and discussions. The insightful questions and answers. It’s so hard losing that. But the great thing is that in being honest, I could help others by warning them against making the same mistake. And I could ask my community for help, which went really well!
It got me thinking about how to handle an unexpected situation like this in life, and how much a difference you can make depending on how you handle it. By being transparent, positive, and through taking ownership of the mistake, it started to feel okay. It sucks, but it happened, and it was time to do what I could and move on. I always try to remember to just focus on my attitude and my effort. Even if I miss a flight, sprain my ankle, or my car breaks down… I just need to accept what happened and move forward.
Give Yourself Grace
I don’t know about you, but I tend to take it really hard when I make a mistake… Maybe it’s the recovering perfectionist in me. I overthink what I could have done, I think about how others may be upset with me, and I overwhelm myself with prevention so I never make the mistake again. But hey, we are all human, and it’s okay to make mistakes! I really think the most important part about managing the unexpected when a wrench is thrown into your plans is to give yourself grace.
Self-talk is such an important thing to pay attention to. If you’re constantly saying, “Gah I’m so stupid, I can’t believe that happened, I ruined everything,” then that’ll become your reality. Changing the narrative in your self-talk can make all the difference. It might sound like, “Okay I’m feeling a lot of self-criticism right now. But I made an honest mistake. And I’ll do better next time. Right now I just need to move forward.” Feel the feeling, but don’t let yourself linger there. I’m not always great at this, but I’m trying!
For now I just want to remember to be positive, transparent, and resilient in the face of unexpected things like this.
Has something like this ever happened to you? How did you manage it?
xo Natalie
P.S. If you want to hear the whole story, you can watch my Facebook live about it HERE!
