The bride and groom, a few years ago at the holidays.

This past weekend, I was part of a female wolfpack - five of my closest girlfriends and I traveled to Atlantic City for a bachelorette party. Now, most of what happened in Atlantic City is staying safely in Atlantic City (sorry for those of you who ere expecting lots of gory details), but suffice it to say, we had a blast. There was a lot of alcohol, a lot of strippers, and a lot of uncontrollable laughter.

No tiger in the bathroom, but our hotel room was pretty small and split between six of us, so that was probably for the best.

Anyway, before we left, I promised the groom that we’d take good care of his bride, and he reminded us (again) that if she starts hiccuping, she’s probably a ticking time bomb and we should get her to a sink or toilet to vomit. Cute, right? I know, but it happens. We then got into a long discussion about the bride’s ability to puke and rally, something that I’ve never been able to master.

For those of you out there who aren’t as drunky-face as we are, “puke and rally” simply means that you can vomit to get the alcohol out of your system and then go back to the party, maybe even keep drinking. If you’re a normal person like me, after you puke, you probably need to go to bed, but the bride has conquered her stomach, and after puking, she’s good for another drink or two.

Right now, you might be cringing and preparing a lecture for me on the dangers of alcohol, but save it. This is a bachelorette party that we’ve been waiting for since the groom and the bride met and became best friends in kindergarten. Kindergarten!

But I digress. What I really want to talk about is the puke and rally concept and how you absolutely must learn to apply it to your everyday life. I might not be able to vomit and keep doing shots of Soco and lime, but I am good at the figurative puke and rally that is so important in your career. 

Basically, what I mean is that you’re going to have career lows. No matter how good you are at your job, you’re going to have moments where you royally fuck up. Maybe you missed a major mistake and gave something your approval. Maybe you lost your temper with your boss or coworker. Maybe you lost a big sale. Whatever - you got to the low point, the point where if your job was a night of drinking, you’re be ready to puke.

RALLY!

The ability to bounce back defines us. Maybe your low point as so low that you even got fired - and that’s tough. But really, what are you going to do? Lay in bed, gripping your stomach and crying that chasing vodka shots with wine coolers was a bad idea? Or are you going to get back out there and join the party?

Few honest mistakes are bad enough to get a person fired on the spot, but if you aren’t able to rally, that says something to your boss. Often it isn’t your mistakes themselves that get you canned, but rather your inability to cope under pressure to get things fixed…you inability to rally.

Shake it off and grab that proverbial party cup again. Learning this skill can save your job and even make it possible for you to get a promotion, despite your low points in the past.