You will face “bitter trials” during the course of your long career. They will never feel good in the moment, but — rest assured — they will pass. Most times, better opportunities await you.

I think back on many of the negative experiences in my life and realize they often pushed me out of a comfort zone into which I had fallen. The disruption forced me out of a “warm nest” and on the path to bigger, better, and more challenging opportunities.

• A layoff forced me out of employment and challenged me to build my first solopreneur business, which I loved. That taste of freedom and success brought me full circle back to entrepreneurship 13 years ago, and I never returned to the corporate world again.

• An impending re-org at another company made it clear to me that it was time to move on from my comfortable job. It pushed me to challenge myself to climb the career ladder to become an executive somewhere else. That growth wouldn’t have happened without that bitter experience.

• A later re-org (the tech world loves re-orgs) layered me under a toxic and incompetent boss who essentially destroyed my future career path within the walls of that company. The experience made me question everything, which set me back on the path to entrepreneurship for the rest of my life. I’ve never been happier!

However, each negative event certainly rocked my confidence. Sometimes a little. Sometimes a lot!

After the failure of my old tech startup, I questioned my talent and capabilities. I doubted myself.

Then, I went through the very exercise that I just published for my premium subscribers this week. I sat down and spent a few days writing what I now call “The Story of You.”

I captured my story using the following questions as prompts:

• Who am I?

• What have I accomplished over the course of my life to date (i.e., from early childhood to now)?

• What are my “hero stories”?

• What are my natural talents, starting from birth (it helps to talk with parents and siblings)?

• What have I learned (e.g., during school, from work experiences, in my personal life)?

• What skills have I acquired?

• What experiences have shaped me — both good and bad?

• What are my vision, mission, and purpose in life?

• Where do I want to go next?

So, if you ever lose your confidence and start doubting yourself, try this exercise. Ok, let me tell you something… it’s useful to do no matter what. Documenting your life, what you’ve accomplished, and what makes you amazing and unique is never a waste of time.

Please, just do it.

You’re going to look back, see the patterns of success in your life, and realize that you are pretty damn good at what you do. You are also an amazing human being.

You are more — so much more — than some job with some employer in some brief moment of time in your overall life. A “bitter trial” does not define you. It’s merely a wake-up call to remind you that you’re destined for greater things.

Take advantage of it to challenge yourself to achieve what you really want in your life. Take control of the new pages you will add to the “Story of You.”

This week’s professional development challenge

⭐ Write the Story of You
Sit down in a quiet place with your favorite mug of coffee or tea, and start capturing the “Story of You” from the beginning. All of us have been on a more amazing journey than we realize. We’ve had life experiences we have mostly forgotten or taken for granted. I know you’ve accomplished things you no longer feel are worth mentioning.

Hi, I’m Larry Cornett, a Personal Coach who can work with you to optimize your career, life, or business. My mission is to help you take complete control of your work and life so you can become a more “Invincible You.” I currently live in Northern California near Lake Tahoe with my wife and a gigantic Great Dane. Lately, we’ve been trying to enjoy the crazy amounts of snow here and get some skiing in at least once a week.