[cs_section id=”” class=” ” style=”margin: 0px; padding: 45px 0px; ” visibility=”” parallax=”false”][cs_row id=”” class=” ” style=”margin: 0px auto; padding: 0px; ” visibility=”” inner_container=”true” marginless_columns=”false” bg_color=””][cs_column id=”” class=”” style=”padding: 0px; ” bg_color=”” fade=”false” fade_animation=”in” fade_animation_offset=”45px” fade_duration=”750″ type=”1/1″][cs_text id=”” class=”” style=”” text_align=”left-text”]I got bad news this morning. I missed an opportunity because someone hadn’t heard from me and went with another person.

But I had responded immediately! The email did not arrive (or she missed it).

I had done everything right.
It’s not fair.
It’s not my fault.

I’m feeling disappointed, and helpless, and sorry for myself.

I’m telling myself, “It’s the universe telling you it wasn’t meant to be.”
“It wasn’t a good fit.”
“Let it go.”

I’m searching for where I screwed up– what I could have done differently.

Should I have followed up sooner? Perhaps, but the potential client was travelling and I had the impression the project wasn’t urgent.

I didn’t want to seem pushy.

3 Takeaways from this Life Lemon

Turn up the “She’d be happy to hear from me” meter. Believe that an inquiry from me is not an intrusion. It could be a useful reminder, a pleasant show of interest, or simply neutral. All are more likely than an annoyance.

Improve my system for evaluating potential projects. I was kinda waiting to see what might develop with this opportunity– open to, but not creating scenarios of how we might work together. Maybe the fact that I wasn’t actively generating ideas should have signaled me to turn up the energy or turn it off.

Tweak my follow-up system. I have a good CRM that I don’t use as effectively as I could. It gives me reminders that I sometimes ignore. And any database is only as good as the data you put in. I could have checked in with the client sooner.

So in conclusion, fault, schmault. Like most things in life I can learn from this, and insight is an antidote to self-pity.[/cs_text][/cs_column][/cs_row][/cs_section]