The rationale for an adverse decision can encompass a multitude of sins, as we discussed last month in this series. You may not clearly understand why things didn’t go your way. Nevertheless, you need to come up with a new plan for how to cope with this career setback and what to do next. [...]

The pain of disappointment creates scar tissue that may feel permanent. Don’t be surprised if this phase takes a while. Something that you worked so hard to accomplish, but failed to achieve, will require appropriate mourning and reflection — but you will rebound.