Setbacks are integral part of our life experiences. There’s no successful man or woman who have not encountered set backs on the areas of their lives where they have succeeded. Failure is part of success.
For some persons, it could be a thing that sends them to a place of no recovery while for some persons it could be a stepping stone to greater things. As for set backs, they must come but the most important thing is how we react to it and how we handle the situation. Our reactions would be the determinant factor to whether we would be swallowed by the set back or whether we would come out better and stronger.
I have had some set backs in the past, some of them minor and some major. Some in the areas of relationships and some in the area of finances. One of the major set backs I had in my life was a financial set back I had in the year 2021.
It was a very devastating experience as I lost over #600,000 to a Ponzi scheme. What made this set back bad was that I borrowed #500,000 to make that investment which crashed 1 month after.
It was the rudest shock of my life and I thought I was going to die. Over half a million naira was so much for me and I had never handled such kind of money before. Just the year where I thought I was going to be a millionaire, wa the year I was scammed of my hard earned and hard borrowed money. Hahahaha.
The good news is that I bounced back. Here I am, I didn’t commit suicide and I am better and stronger. I have made that money over and again. It was a set back but the way I handled it went along way to pave way for survival.
Here are some tips on how to handle a set back;
- To deal with a set back, you must acknowledge that you had a set back and accept it. Many people try to live in denial thereby worsening or prolonging their recovery from the set back. You must identify and analyze the impact the setback have on you and then allow yourself to grieve or mourn over it.
Do not stifle your emotions. Cry all you want but allowing yourself to express the way you feel is a starting point. For me, I cried like a river. I cried and cried till my tears refused to flow. I let the tears flow. I bewailed and mourned my foolishness.
The next step is the reflection and the learning step. Reflect on why the set back happened. What was the root cause of the setback, what did you get wrong and what did you learn from it. When you identify your mistakes and have extracted the valuable lessons, you would know how to apply them in the future to avoid a similar mistake.
The next step would be to draft out your action plans on how to overcome the setback. If you fold your hands and do nothing, you would still remain in that condition. So it would be wise to break down your actions to overcoming the set back Into small actions steps and begin to take them gradually. You can also reach out to your loved ones and friends for support.
You must maintain a positive attitude and mindset and celebrate your small wins knowing that overcoming setbacks takes time. Learn and draw inspiration from people who have overcome such similar setbacks in the past. Also learn to take care of your mental, emotional and physical wellbeing in the process.
Live happens and so does setbacks. The most important thing is your determination to come out of it. Your attitude to it all matters. Be positive and take it one day at a time and you’d look back and see how far you’ve recovered. Remember that winners don’t quit and quitters don’t win.