This post, I am going to talk about how to stay courageous and hopeful even if something bad happens. This week, I got a great offer from a company that I thought I was going to be extremely happy in, only to lose it hours later because I tried to understand more and perhaps negotiate over certain terms (I have not even started negotiating and was told firmly not to negotiate). The thing is, I thought that I was doing my potential employer a favor as I called him before he sent over the offer letter so that we could cut down on the back and forth. He had already made me a verbal offer. Little did I expect him to rescind the offer. That shocked me for the next two days and I thought about what I had just gained, and lost in a single day.

How to Stay Courageous and Hopeful even if Something Bad Happens

After speaking with some friends and families about this issue, there were a wide variety of opinions on why this happened. Some said:

• He might think that you are arrogant to negotiate with him in your position
• Your tonality might have expressed that you are belittling his offer
• Some of the things said when he expressed the terms could have suggested that you were more concerned about the offer than the work you are going to be doing
• You could have waited for him to send the offer letter over before negotiating
• He just had a bad day and you caught him at the wrong moment
• You might not have eloquently expressed what your concerns were
• Your position might be too low and your thinking that you could call him to talk over the terms might not sit well with him

The thing is, throughout the interview process, I thought we have established a rapport and he explicitly told me to call him if I have any questions. I did, and he rescinded my offer. This experience will no doubt serve me well. On the day itself, I made several notes on why this happened:

• I was hesitant on the phone and I personally felt like I was beating around the bush
• I always felt that the company was giving me a “chance” to work with them (not healthy)
• I was not sure of the actual value I could provide to the company yet, which decreases my negotiation position
• I was too happy when the offer came in and handled it like a novice

Regardless, I spent the next two days thinking about this and came to the conclusion that life still has to go on. I lost a good offer, but there will be many other good offers down the road if I continue to improve myself, and that is really the gist of today’s post. I will continue to develop myself personally and professionally, looking forward with faith and diligence, and make an impact in my daily life, work and the people around me. The world is big, and the Earth keeps turning, I will forge a new path today which will be even more dazzling than the path offered yesterday.