By Deborah Smith Pegues –
I’ve just returned from an event where I, along with nine other speakers, pitched our three-minute television segment proposal to 15 producers from network affiliates across the nation. It was a grueling two days of back-to-back presentations. We’d hired a special consultant to secure this unique audience of decision makers and to guide us through the idea development and pitching process. During my first Skype interview on the second day (having already presented the idea six times the day before), I drew a complete blank when going through my bullet points. It was a very uncomfortable and humiliating position.
“Mrs. Deborah,” the young producer lectured, “All you had to do was bring your note cards.”
I didn’t tell her that I indeed had them right next to me but couldn’t see the words because I didn’t want to wear eyeglasses during the interview. I was very disappointed with my performance. I was tempted to blame God for not bringing the information to my remembrance.
Times of disappointment present the perfect opportunity to re-evaluate our goals, expectations, and motives, where we place our trust, and how we respond when things do not go our way. Since I’m on a mission to let nothing take away my joy, I immediately put my joy-keeping strategies into play. You can try them too:
We will all experience disappointments. Overcoming with them requires a mindset that is humble enough to submit to God’s plan, flexible enough to accept His grace for ourselves or extend it to others, and faithful enough to stay focused on the future.
Join Deborah Pegues at the LA ASCEND Conference on Oct. 19th.
Deborah Pegues is an international speaker and bestselling author of 30 Days to Taming Your Tongue (E.C.P.A. Gold Award winner) as well as 14 other transformational books including Emergency Prayers and Confronting Without Offending. She is a Certified Behavioral Consultant specializing in understanding personality temperaments and resolving interpersonal conflicts. She has appeared on numerous television and talk radio shows throughout the USA and abroad. Top magazines such as Newsweek, Charisma, Essence, and others have featured her sage advice. As a Certified Public Accountant (CPA) with an MBA in Finance, Deborah’s clients have included several high profile personalities. She is a former VP of MCA/Universal Studios’ venture capital division and currently serves on the Board of Directors for World Vision USA. She has been happily married to her soul mate, Darnell Pegues, for 34 years. More information on Deborah can be found at www.confrontingissues.com.