Dealing with setbacks is a part of life: one that can put us into a tailspin unfortunately! It’s important to be able to get back on our feet after these happen to us, right after the shock period is absorbed.
Setbacks and disappointments happen in many different contexts. You can build up your business and have it destroyed by a hurricane. You can be in your dream relationship only to have it fall apart overnight. An athlete could be in a car accident and be unable to pursue his college sports dream again. Or you could have been working on a writing project and your laptop crashed before you backed up the document.
It is only natural to have feelings of helplessness and loss after you have put your heart into something and invested your time,
passion and often money. Being upset and distraught about a setback is to be expected and allows you to go through the process of your initial emotions. However, moving on is what ultimately will help you feel better and regain a clear direction once again.
Blame and anger can eat away at you and when you experience a loss, it’s critical to see if the situation is one that can be restored or not. If there is no possible damage control and a completely new plan is needed, some soul searching is important to look at your aspirations and dreams. Know that the skills, abilities and strengths that enabled you to create your original situation, you still have inside of you even if they have gone through some modifications from whatever happened circumstantially. These inner capabilities are the tools enabling you to rebuild again.
People often give up after a setback. However, look at setbacks as a good learning experience teaching us the power of the mind and how to persevere. After all, would you be walking today had you not persevered as a toddler, first learning how to crawl and next learning how to walk?
For instance, if you were on a diet and had a slip of an overeating binge, instead of beating yourself up and saying the diet didn’t
work, keep in mind your goals and where you want to be in six months. At the same token, if you did not stick to your budget or made some sort of financial blunder, get back on track and stop beating yourself up. What happened is in the past. Learn from it, move on and focus on tomorrow!
They say in meditation it’s best to just begin again when the mind wanders and you daydreamed or fantasized when you were supposed to concentrate on your breathing. There shouldn’t be blame or shame. I find this is a helpful guideline. Straying from one’s diet is obviously a different level of life challenge than a financial or business setback. Regardless, it is determination and inner strength what will contribute to renewed energy and subsequent success.