Turn Your Setback into a SETUP for Success!
“Don’t wish it was easier, wish you were better. Don’t wish for less problems, wish for more skills. Don’t wish for less challenges, wish for more wisdom.” —Jim Rohn
SETBACKS … SETUPS … SUCCESS!
When I first heard the phrase “your setbacks are a setup” for something greater, it really impacted me and turned my defeated thoughts into victorious thoughts, hopeless into hope and “I can’t” into “I can.” Our plans and expectations will be challenged, the key is to not give up. You may have a detour, but maybe the detour is for a reason.
For my path, I believe God orders my steps…. He never said it would make sense “to me,” be in a straight line or happen in my timeframe. Years ago a dear friend said to me, “Nothing happens in your life without it crossing God’s desk first and Him giving it permission to be in your life.” For me, this means I need to grow, learn and trust the process. I still incorporate the tips and tools I share with you because it is all part of the plan.
How would you define a SETBACK? It is an interruption in progress or an event that hinders your forward progress. The definition doesn’t say failure, give up, loser, you won’t be anything in life…it doesn’t say any of that. However, sometimes our thoughts go there based on past experiences or discouragements. I believe that knowing how you define words, acknowledging what they mean to you are key to your mindset. If the word SETBACK is more negative to you, change it up!
In your lifetime, you will experience setbacks to SETUPS as you step into a better job opportunity, reaching specific goals, starting a business, enriching your gifts and talents, and accomplishing personal success.
I think about how athletes train and prepare for years in order to qualify and participate in the Olympics. When you hear their stories, you hear about the setback of missing the Olympics due to an injury, they were a second too slow in a race, or missed a landing on the uneven bars….it is devastating…. but for those who still have the dream and passion inside of them, they turned the “setback” into a SETUP for a comeback and ultimately, they find themselves at the next Olympics (four years later).
Don’t worry about what others think – fun fact: A football draft report on famous Quarterback Tom Brady showed how underrated he was in the beginning: “At the pro level, his lack of mobility could surface as a problem, and it will be interesting to see how he fares when forced to take more chances down the field….he doesn’t have the total package of skills.”
“Overall: Fifth-round grade” “Position rank: №10 quarterback”
I don’t know about you, but I think Tom Brady got the last laugh!
GROWTH MINDSET - When there’s a setback, flip it and see it as an opportunity to rise to the challenge, grow through it and learn from it. Just because this perceived setback happens DOES NOT mean you have major flaws or that you are a failure. Decide today to accept that there’s value in learning from this time, no matter the outcome.
Shift your mindset into the growth mindset in order to stop defining your setbacks as failures and incorporate them as part of your journey. When one door closes, another one opens! When you achieve this growth mindset, you will begin to experience your setbacks as simply a series of steps which are bringing you closer to your triumphant result.
Sometimes you may feel like you are going from step A to B to C and then jump to Q, R, S and back to E, F, G and then to X, Y, and back to D. It is never in a straight line, but each step has a lesson and a SETUP for an opportunity and comeback.
Fashion Designer Vera Wang failed to make the Olympic figure skating team, she didn’t get the Editor-in-Chief position at Vogue, but then she designed her first dress at age 40. The rest is history.
Start Climbing the Ladder of SETUPS
Build a tribe of people around you who have your best interest at heart
Be determined to not give up
Be flexible with your plans and open to change
Believe that good will come out of this “setback”
Be determined
WHAT IF - what if this is meant to be for you and not against you. (What If blog)
Be inspired to overcome
Ask for help
Remind yourself you are one decision away from a better life
Remember the battlefield is in the mind….so rewire it.
List three personal core values – this will be your compass
What can you learn from a Chef? Whenever I watch a competition cooking show, I usually see something amazing. If the Chef’s recipe is not turning out the way they had hoped (burnt food, food is mushy, too much or lack of spices, etc.) they start adding in new spices, changing out ingredients and the dish is completely different from what they were originally planning to prepare. Don’t be afraid or discouraged of any setback or challenge because you never know what great things will come from it.
As YOUR COACH, I have some SETUP questions for you…
What skills did you acquire from this setback/setup?
What skills can you take with you as you move forward?
What unique talent(s) did you discover about yourself?
Did this happen to you in another area of your life? How did you handle it then?
How is it different this time?
Do you have the right people by your side? What is your biggest takeaway from all of this?
