Turning Setbacks into Comebacks- Part 2

In Turning Setbacks into Comebacks- Part 1, I told my story about how I turned what was supposed to be a major business setback into a comeback.  I also talked about what I learned from the experiences. In Part 2 of this article, I’m going to go through the precise steps and questions that I asked myself to make my come back.

Firstly, when we experience what we consider to be a setback, whether in business, health, relationships, finances, etc. we want to examine our expectations of the situation.

Where our expectations realistic?  I often have people coming into the office with health challenges and having unrealistic expectations of how long it will take to heal.  If you come into the office with poor posture, it did not get there overnight. Poor posture is built over years and years of abusing your body and neglect.  It will not take a couple of visits for your to straighten up.

Look at the last time you had a setback in an aspect of your life.  Did you have realistic expectations of the situation. Hint: probably not.  If not, what was the reality of the situation?

Next, we want to examine the setback further.  Here are some questions to ask yourself:

• Why did this experience happen?  This question is best asked after you’ve taken some time to process your emotions.  If you are getting answers back such as: this happened because you’re stupid or this always happens to you, etc.  Try this exercise again later.
• What valuable lessons did I learn from this experience?
• What steps can I put into place so that this doesn’t happen again?
• Is this project/relationships, etc something I want to further devote my energy and time to?  Sometimes, a setback is a sign to call it quits. This is so you can start something new. Check in with yourself to see if it is something you really wanted.  Perhaps, it failed because it wasn’t something you are passionate about.
• If you decide to make a comeback, how can you come back stronger than you did before?

Whether you decide to call it quits or make a comeback, the experience will have taught lots of life lessons.  Appreciate what you learned and take this new version of you into your next adventure.

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