Have you ever noticed that everything seems to go differently than planned? You research, build the most beautiful color-coded spreadsheet, and then an unforeseen variable knocks it out of alignment. Setbacks can stop us dead in our tracks or motivate us to achieve new heights.
According to Psychology Today, less than 20% of people successfully reach a goal on the first try. That’s a pretty low number. So what happens to the other 80%? How do they find the motivation to keep going?
Feel the feels
Missing a goal sucks. You’re allowed to be disappointed. Eat that box of Girl Scout cookies. Binge-watch your favorite TV show for the millionth time. Give yourself one night to indulge in the feelings. It’s how you know it was important to you.
Learn from it
Step back and evaluate what went wrong. What caused you to miss the mark? Did you forget to do something? Underestimate the time it would take? Look at it as a learning opportunity. Find where you misstepped so you can do better next time.
Do it again
If at first you don’t succeed… Just because it didn’t work last time doesn’t mean you can’t do it. It means you need to change your approach. Take the things you learned from the previous attempt and do it again. Success is measured in tiny increments. We may only notice the final result, but the little steps along the way make those big shiny moments of awe possible.
Every setback is a setup for a comeback. Look at it as a learning opportunity to rise above the fray and become better than you were before. This is the start of your comeback story. And who doesn’t love those?
Erin McKnight 