What happens when things go wrong with your plans? Do you get discouraged and give up? Or do you chuck it down the experience lane and understand how not to do something the next time?
Life isn’t linear, there will always be obstacles, but we are not always prepared for the obstacles in our journey. Often during our planning stage, we over-emphasis the upside and minimize the potential downsides so when things don’t go as planned we’re left confused. Now things haven’t gone as planned (for whatever reason), how do you get back up? It’s important to prepare ourselves for these situations and turn our setbacks into comebacks.
There are four basic steps to take on this journey back.
Be easy on yourself
By default, we find ourselves wallowing in self-pity and pain when an unfortunate situation arises in our journey. This season usually has us making no efforts to be better or making unhealthy decisions that will make the situation worse. It is important to be easy on yourself. Be aware that you are human and susceptible to mistakes. This will make you more accommodating of your failure and make it easier for you to forgive yourself. Remember that healing begins with self – forgiveness. A good emotional space is the best place to bounce back from.
Think and Strategize
After forgiving yourself. Think through your mistakes. Study the pattern and figure out where you missed out. This step is important because it gives you enough information to navigate through similar situations. If the same obstacle comes up again, you will be better equipped to deal with it and make better choices.
Bounce back
Even when we make plans, sometimes fear keeps us from acting on them. We battle with ‘what ifs’ and may get overwhelmed with analysis paralysis – we spend so much time analyzing we end up not doing anything. Do not let fear hold you back. There are only two options at this point, to stay stuck or try again. Only one of these options has you on a progressive path so step into your next project with full force.
Prepare yourself for whatever outcome
It is not certain what the outcome of your next trial would be. However, you would have learned a lot from your experiences. Build your positivity so that even when there is a small obstacle again, you can quickly look at alternatives and how to move on. Quick recovery periods are great for growth.
Mistakes don’t equate to failure. Failure occurs when you don’t learn the lessons you could have learned from the mistakes you made and you give up trying. There’s always an opportunity to spring back and come out even stronger.
