It's in the Bag!

Sometimes, when we are working on something, we get to the point where we think, “It’s in the bag. We‘ve got it. It will finally be ours”, and then the rug gets pulled from under us, and we feel as though we have failed. Like the joke is on us.

But I find that sometimes when we win, we lose, and sometimes when we lose, we win. At least this has been true for me.

I couldn’t help getting in the shoes of, and feeling for, Ms. Colombia (at the Miss Universe Pageant), who had just won Miss Universe. Then 30 seconds later, oops – there was a mistake, and now she lost to Ms. Philippines and the crown was abruptly taken off her head. At first glance, I am sure it was a devastating and humiliating moment for her.

But, did she really lose? First of all, the publicity she will get from this mistake will kick-start her career. Sometimes we lose in order to see that maybe there is a bigger idea for us, a bigger mission. Sometimes the loss saves you from a big mistake. Sometimes that loss opens the door to something that is better for you and in fact the better path in the end.

In this day and age, is being Miss Universe the aspiration it once was, or is the new goal to be Ms. Mogul? I just read a great article in More magazine titled, Smart Is the New Beautiful. I think Ms. Colombia is about to realize this. I think she will do better by having lost the Miss Universe crown. The world is her oyster and she is free to explore it, out of the box of her title or her beauty. This setback will help her cultivate a new version of herself.

In this holiday season, we are “supposed“ to be happy. But that is not always the case. Bad things happen to us and sometimes they happen to fall during the holidays. It’s okay to experience setbacks. Don’t let those setbacks define you or tarnish future holidays. I, for instance, had a back injury in the last couple of weeks that has brought me excruciating pain. I over did it and my body said “Stop!”. It has made me feel vulnerable, weak, grouchy, and not exactly in the Christmas spirit. But this too shall pass. Let’s all get past momentary setbacks, disappointments, unmet expectations, and start dreaming about the 3 things we want to accomplish in 2016.

I, for one, am putting my health and wellness at the top of the list.

Here’s to Happy Holidays, in spite of unexpected setbacks.