When Even Your Best Is Not Enough

??Recently, a consultant approached me with an enticing job offer. I thought, why not? I breezed through the first two rounds confidently, but in the third round, I faced five member panel. I didn’t know the profiles of three interviewers, so the grilling began. They had the upper hand, observing my responses and crafting questions accordingly. Despite this, I believe I did well—really well. So, when the rejection came, it was a shock. ??

I shared the rejection email with my daughter, but rather than anger, it was surprise. It pinched me, yes, but I wasn't angry.

The points I had in mind:

?? I don't know who got selected, so can't say judgement was unfair.

?? The interviewee don't need to share my optimism abt my candidature. I can try to impress them, but cannot compel them.

?? We cannot even influence our loved ones, family members, spouse. Even twin siblings to do not see eye to eye.

?? How can I guarantee influencing 5 random interviewees to like me in 1 hour?

I realised it was a reflection of my maturity and circumstances that I could think that way. I wasn’t desperately seeking a job to keep things afloat, so I could afford to be calm. ??

We often think if we give our best, success is a sure thing. But here’s the truth: IT DOESN’T GUARANTEE SUCCESS.

?? You might bat a triple century, but your team could still lose.

?? You could beat your personal best by a minute, yet miss the Olympic final.

?? A student might score 99.6 percentile and still miss their dream college.

Life doesn’t always work that way.

In moments like this, we tend to blame the system or our luck. Both can lead to frustration, and in worse cases, despair. But this is when we need to zoom out, see the bigger picture, and have faith that life will offer another chance.

After all :

?? the cricketer will get another game,

??♂? the athlete will have another race, and

?? the student will have other colleges to get into.

??If you played a rash shot and got out - be harsh on yourself.

If you looked over the shoulders at other runner and lost a few seconds - beat yourself for that.

If you lost a few marks due to silly/careless mistakes - better do 50 situps and stand and face the wall.

BUT - if you did everything to the BEST of your abilities, there is NO REASON to be tough on yourself.The issue is not that we didn’t succeed—it’s that we didn’t succeed RIGHT-NOW.

Life always always always, gives us a second chance. We just have to WAIT.

As the saying goes, “We overestimate what we can achieve in a day and underestimate what we can achieve in a decade.”

? So, when your best isn't enough, dust yourself off and get ready to give your best again. ??