Today, I've gradually allowed a little perspective to creep in, and am now feeling much more positive about the experience. I'm sure that the feedback was provided with the best of intentions, and will prove to be very useful, but I think that I needed a little while to process it and see it in that light. My challenge is to stay positive, respond to it, and move onwards and upwards.
Who knows, maybe the ultimate response to the feedback is that the next step along the career path turns out not to be for me, but the benefit of having a little perspective now (not to mention the most supportive wife in the history of the world ever) is helping me to realise that I'm still a worthwhile human being who is doing just about ok as things are. Sure, I would love to achieve the next rung on the ladder, but is it the most important thing in the world, most definitely not. I could spend the next few hours sat here typing out just the tiniest percentage of the things that are, both to me personally and to the wider world.
My plan at this stage is to respond to the feedback given, continue to be positive, put my best foot forward, and then in the words of people far wiser than me, "what is meant to be will be" (there, is that enough cliches in one sentence for you).
No doubt over the next couple of weeks my mood will fluctuate by the day depending on where I am in the cycle of trying again, being told it isn't good enough, dusting myself down, and getting on with it again, but hopefully I can cling on to a little bit of perspective throughout.
Well, there's an extremely self indulgent post for you, but hey, what are blogs for after all!
As an aside, no doubt the people in question are rather too busy to be reading nonsense like this, but good luck if you are moving house tomorrow.