Are You Letting a Small Setback Stop You?

19 Jul, 2017 Productivity,Self Improvement

Here’s a question: when you hit a roadblock, do you get up, dust yourself off and try again, or stay down and give up?

I have to be honest here: I’ve done both, and you know what? Staying down and giving up on myself never felt good.

In the moment, it may seem like the easier route or the only route. But giving up on myself and my abilities never led to anything good.

After years of practice and plenty of hurdles, I’ve learned how to overcome setbacks, small and large, and to never give up on my potential.

In a recent post, I said Failure Is Your Ticket to Success, and I stand by that for a number of reasons:

  • Mistakes inspire growth.
  • Failure teaches you to cope and problem-solve.
  • Failure makes you resilient.
  • Setbacks improve your bounce back rate.

If you’re done letting small setbacks and failure demotivate you from pushing on and realizing your dreams, try these three methods for speeding up your bounce back rate.

1. Err on the side of optimism.

Some people are born always waking up on the right side of the best, glass half-full, looking on the sunny side. For others, optimism is a learned skill. Whether you consider yourself a realistic or even a pessimist, don’t worry — you can invite more optimism into your life.

A Stanford-trained psychologist and coach at BetterUp recommends asking these three questions next time you’re faced with a setback:

  1. How permanent is the setback?
  2. Will the setback affect your whole life or just a part of it?
  3. Is the setback something you caused?

We have a nasty habit of telling ourselves stories, which usually don’t serve our best purpose and make minor situations seem like huge obstacles.

Optimistic people are naturally more forgiving in their “storytelling” and better at separating themselves from setbacks, rather than attributing them to their character or self-worth.

2. Try active coping.

What is your go-to reaction when you’ve had a bad day? Perhaps you plop down in front of the TV for an all-night binge session, or you grab your favorite junk food and throw caution to the wind.

Instead of avoiding the unpleasant feelings, try a productive coping mechanism:

  • Socializing with friends and family
  • Exercising or staying active
  • Journaling (even if you’re just venting your frustration!)
  • Reading an inspiring book or article
  • Doing something good for another person
  • Being creative

When a setback occurs, the most important thing to do is take control of the situation, rather than letting it control you.

3. Focus on the lesson.

In the aftermath of a setback or failure, take pause to reflect. Focusing on how the lesson of the situation can further your career or future endeavors is far more valuable than wallowing.

It’s natural to feel discouraged, but don’t let it dictate your next moves to the point where you’re completely defeated. Sometimes called the “shame-blame” cycle, switch your mindset from where you went wrong, to how you can do better next time.

You can’t change the past, but you can influence the future. Share your failures with others and the lessons you’ve learned — it is a cathartic way of healing and can inspire others to share with you, thus increasing your learning even more!

To be an entrepreneur or business owner is to experience failure. You’re in good company, so don’t let a small setback hold you back from an even bigger future.

Let’s talk about your goals and how you can step into your greatness!

Image attribution

Summary
Article Name
Are You Letting a Small Setback Stop You?
Description
Here’s a question: when you hit a roadblock, do you get up, dust yourself off and try again, or stay down and give up?
Author

Subscribe Now to get the latest insights on Productivity, Publishing and Passion

  • This field is for validation purposes and should be left unchanged.
×