Sleep On It
A top executive who had lost his job of 30 years came home considering suicide. He couldn't bring himself to tell his wife of the humiliation nor could he bear the thought of his friends knowing. He went into the bedroom where he kept his gun and took it in his hands. He could end it in a minute, he thought, but something stopped him. Maybe tomorrow when his wife went shopping...
That night he slept fitfully and in the morning at breakfast, he was a nervous wreck. Then while he was reading the paper, the phone rang. It was a friend of a friend who had heard the unemployment news. He was considering starting a new business and needed a partner. It was the chance of a lifetime.
The fired executive went into the bedroom, threw the gun in the safe, and fell on his knees in prayer.
Victory is never final, Churchill pointed out, and defeat is seldom fatal. When you stumble or fall, when you lose something important, when you commit a serious error or fail miserably, be careful of judging yourself too harshly. Self-condemnation only compounds your depression. Sleep on the problem; pray about it. The next day you'll be more capable of assessing the situation.
That night he slept fitfully and in the morning at breakfast, he was a nervous wreck. Then while he was reading the paper, the phone rang. It was a friend of a friend who had heard the unemployment news. He was considering starting a new business and needed a partner. It was the chance of a lifetime.
The fired executive went into the bedroom, threw the gun in the safe, and fell on his knees in prayer.
Victory is never final, Churchill pointed out, and defeat is seldom fatal. When you stumble or fall, when you lose something important, when you commit a serious error or fail miserably, be careful of judging yourself too harshly. Self-condemnation only compounds your depression. Sleep on the problem; pray about it. The next day you'll be more capable of assessing the situation.
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