Pilgrim’s hat, day parade with balloons at the upper west side, turkey roast, autumn leaves, Thanksgiving is here and that calls for a grand gathering full of love, gratitude and appreciation. The excitement of the Black Friday Deals is so evident in everyone’s face.

We were at Donna’s place. All of us had met to decide on the theme of the party in order to streamline our planning. We were all enjoying the snacks made by Kate and Donna when the doorbell rang. It was Emily. She looked perplexed. Throwing her tote on the couch, she went to her room.

We were quite taken aback. “She had a terrible day. She had informed me. Bob, will you please help my girl. Only you can handle this,” said Donna.

I knocked and entered her room. “What happened, Emi?” I asked. “I lost my first and most important big exposure, Uncle Bob. I worked months on the project but they didn’t like it. They rejected my idea. I just ruined my very first impression. I couldn’t make it happen. It would have been a big break for me. I lost it!” she cried.

“Emi, it is not the end of the world. Such setbacks have the ability to lure great success. This is just going to be a learning lesson for you to perform better in the future. If your work wasn’t rejected then you would have settled down for just that without knowing that you can perform even better. You are feeling bad because you have put in genuine efforts and got tested too. However, this will just open new bigger doors for you. Every door from now will get bigger and better. What you need to do is identify what went wrong and keep it in mind the next time,” I expressed.

“What about my impression on them?” she asked. “Your approach must change from what others will judge to how much it has helped in your growth and created value. Their impression is momentary and they won’t be there with you throughout your life. The lessons that you learn are a lifetime achievement. So focus on that and feel positive. Don’t feel bad,” I replied.

“This makes me feel so much better now. I see it as an opportunity to learn,” she expressed. “Have gratitude to such situations which help you to evolve better,” I said. “Yes, I will remember this from now on,” she expressed. “Now join us outside. Your favorite peach melba smoothie is waiting for you,” I said. “Great! Let’s go!” she expressed and we joined the others.

We are so obsessed with winning every time that we overlook the path of learning when we don’t make it at one go. Later, when we look back and introspect, we can see that we have gained much more than we had desired. There is nothing called an overnight success. Failure should not be treated as taboo. It just gives us a new chance to learn from our mistakes and get back at winning with a renewed sense of energy. Plant a different thought this time.

This Thanksgiving let us try to absorb the positive aspects from every adverse and difficult situation and perform better in every sphere of our lives!