The Crankiness Crusher™

Don’t you hate when disappointing news can ruin a perfectly wonderful day? Happily exhausted from a play date with a few friends and their kids, I was thinking about how lucky I was to be able to enjoy this time with them. But what was making me extra-cheerful was an upcoming job interview with the English Chair at my local community college to be an adjunct writing professor. While I love the flexibility of being a freelance writer so I can stay at home with my little ones, I was thoroughly excited about the prospect of teaching as well as contributing more money to our household.

But just as I was leaving the play date, I checked my voicemail and listened to the English Chair’s assistant cancelling my appointment. She went on to explain why, but I found it hard to concentrate because my heart was sinking with each word she uttered. My disappointment was amplified because I’d also found out that I didn’t make the cut in that Hallmark competition I entered, and almost every editor I’ve contacted regarding freelance assignments over the last few months has pretty much blown me off. I’ll be honest with you, my professional self-esteem is feeling kind of shattered at the moment. It seems like doors are either closing on me or never even opening up in the first place!

I needed a crankiness crusher STAT, and it couldn’t be yet another salted caramel sweet square from Starbucks. Fortunately (for my thighs), I found one in The Digital Mom Handbook. The book is written by two women (Audrey McClelland and Colleen Padilla) who left their swanky careers when they had kids and then turned themselves into super-successful entrepreneurs/mom bloggers. Their success didn’t happen overnight, of course, but I became incredibly inspired by their stories and advice. Instead of wallowing in self-pity and crying over what felt like professional disses, (although admittedly I did break down when I told a friend about my interview being canceled while chatting on the phone with her), I opted to turn off the “Real Housewives of Wherever” that I was watching and curl up on the couch with this book while everyone else in the house slept.

I’d been looking forward to reading it, but wasn’t making time for it, and now I knew that this was just what I needed to give me a swift kick in the you-know-what, as well as offer me something else that I really needed–hope. And these ladies certainly didn’t deny me that! My eyes and fingers raced through the first 100 pages until I finally had to get some shuteye. By the time I hit the sack, I no longer felt as helpless or pouty as I had around dinner time. Instead, I felt empowered to start making sh*t happen and figure out how I can turn my blog and brand into something BIG. It also got me thinking about how to make my children’s book become a reality, and it encouraged me to acknowledge that it’s time to shut the door on disappointment’s face and open it to all of the creativity that’s been waiting to be unleashed and opportunities to be won. Thank you, girls! ♥

Moral of the post? Take your frustration and turn it into motivation! There will always be disappointments in life, but it’s better to use them to your advantage than to sulk in a corner over them while scarfing down a pint of your favorite ice cream. Go for yours and get it done (and try to have fun along the way)!