Have you ever had anything go wrong in your life or your career? Perhaps it’s even going wrong right now. Nobody likes when this happens, but it seems we can’t get through life without occasionally running into stumbling blocks, detours, mistakes, and, unfortunately, some failures. During these times have you ever asked, “What now?”

“What now?” is the perfect way to bridge the gap between bad and good. Very often when our misfortune happens, we accept it, sit in it, stew over it, talk about it to ourselves and others, and many other unhealthy choices. People love to share their problems and our natural inclination is to commiserate with them; but what if, instead of commiserating, we simply asked, “OK, what now?

“What now” is asking for our next step. “What now” puts an abrupt end to the pity party. “What now” is asking us to engage in some creative forward thinking. So, for whatever is currently not going as planned in your life, work or home, ask yourself, “OK, what now?” You may need to ask it a number of times before you get to a real first action step, but it’s a whole lot more helpful than, “Oh, I’m sorry to hear that.” Misery may love company, but company isn’t going to get you beyond this unfortunate spot—action is. So ask yourself, “What now?”

With Gratitude,
Beth