JANUARY 29, 2021
What do YOU do when you have setbacks or failures in life? What lessons will you learn from your setbacks that will help you through the tough times or hopefully not repeat the same mistake over and over again?
Tough question for many of us as we tend to go through life letting things happen to us and not learning our lesson in making the same mistake twice. (or more) I tend to look at setbacks as small, medium and large. What do we do with the bigger ones? What do we do when the wheels come off?
First, we have to expect setbacks in life. That is how we learn. Things will not always go the way YOU want them to. Please don’t let your circumstances paralyze you. Don’t make light of a setback because it can be very painful. BUT, how are you going to deal with it? I hope that you can learn something about yourself when you have setbacks. No one will have “the perfect life.” Hopefully, your setback will result in increasing the size of your heart by your compassion, empathy, and understanding in reaching out to others. If you don’t realize these issues then you are missing out on a chance to GROW as a person. This may just be the time to learn about yourself. Who are you and who are you becoming?
I dislike setbacks and failure but I don’t like wasting my time by brooding. Yes, I can grieve and feel sorry for myself because of something I have lost or something that went terribly wrong. But I need to move on by talking with others to help me deal with the situation. (Try finding a good mentor in your life) Look at what you learned from your setback as a gift. There just might be that light at the end of the dark tunnel and it is open to YOU if you look closely. If you are an optimist, you need to recognize that you will have setbacks but then look at them as an opportunity to move forward. Too many people get locked into their own darkness and can’t move. Look to the future. There are many exciting and wonderful experiences yet to come.
When you experience a setback, often times your energy level is down. You feel you don’t have the energy to look for options. When you experience a setback, we may become confused or angry. I hope you choose to reach out to others in order to help you get over your setback or perceived failure. Don’t try and rush the answer. Be patient. Don’t try and make it all about you. Others have gone through similar or worse things than you. Don’t play the victim. Just make sure you have someone you can talk to, a journal you can write in and a hug. Find that friend. They are there and willing to help.
Once you find that friend, don’t worry about them trying to fix your problem. Just listen for words that bring about HOPE. Hope for tomorrow. Hope for better things to come. Hope for joy and happiness to return.
Finally, remember that God loves you along with other people in your life. Don’t take that for granted. Be thankful you have strong relationships that you can lean on when times are tough.
If you haven’t done so already, go build some strong and authentic relationships. Those are the people that God puts in front of you when you face a setback or failure in life. Then, turn around and be there for them when they experience their own setbacks. It is the right thing to do.
Elevator Guy