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The Story Is Usually Worse Than the Setback

A funny thing happens after a setback.

The event ends.

But the story begins.

The layoff lasts a day.

The story lasts a year.

The rejection lasts five minutes.

The story lasts five months.

The failed project ends.

The story keeps replaying.

Most of the damage isn’t caused by what happened.

It’s caused by the meaning we assign to what happened.

I got laid off twice in twelve months.

The layoff wasn’t the hardest part.

The hardest part was deciding what it meant.

Was I falling behind?

Was I less valuable?

Was I running out of opportunities?

Those stories did far more damage than the actual event.

Eventually I learned something.

Facts matter.

Stories are optional.

The event happened.

The meaning is negotiable.

Choose carefully.

If you’re rebuilding confidence after a setback, my work focuses on helping people rewrite the stories that keep them stuck. Learn more at kinneyconfidence.com.


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