Shake It Off

Poor performances are a natural part of life. No one manages to avoid them. As many self-help books probably note, the thing that separates the more successful people is how they respond to such occurrences. I recently had what felt like a rather poor outing in Toastmasters, committing mistakes left and right as well as delivering a sub-par evaluation of a fellow member's speech. As so often seems to be the case, this followed what may be called a very successful meeting, wherein I won both parts of the speech contest, earning the right to move on to the next round in each. It may be no coincidence that one comes after the other like that. In any event, at such a time one ought to consider the way forward, and I usually do so.

I'd say that usually my impulse is to jump right back into the fray, and the sooner the better. I suppose that this is generally judged to be an admirable trait. It certainly can be quite positive to have no fear in attempting again what one has failed at. Many worthwhile endeavors can result in painful setbacks, and those who overcome the pain and go on to succeed with a fresh attempt are deservedly graded a step above the rest. On the other hand, it can be unhelpful to try hopping back into the saddle while still smarting from the fall. It can be something like trying to start a car, or extracting that same car from soft soil. The more you try in such cases, the worse things get. Thus one must judge whether doing the same thing with greater exertion will have one result or the other. They say that insanity is doing the same thing again and again while expecting a different outcome. I don't know whether I agree with that so much. It seems rather simplistic, and I'll wager it's not officially part of any psychological school of thought.

It certainly can pay to take a breath and consider a new approach. The benefit of something like my Toastmasters club is that I have a week to think about what I'll do differently. I'll probably brood over it, but hopefully move past that into constructive thought. In the end, I expect I'll be able to make at least an incremental improvement on what has me a little down. Other times, the interval for self-criticism is longer. If I should have a bad showing in an improv show, the likelihood is that I won't have the opportunity to really rectify it for a couple of months. Of course, I can start to feel better in class weeks before that, but I'll know in my mind that it's not the same thing. One must find serenity enough to have the patience to make the right move when there is more than enough time to plot a comeback.

You just have to know what the right balance is on a case by case basis. Sometimes it may well be the wrong thing to even make a second effort, if the first was a bad idea. The rest of the time, there's always a proper period for consideration of the right way. Do always be ready for another charge, but be sure that this one will count. They all do take a toll.