#BellLetstalk is an incredible initiative that has opened the doors of communication and awareness of mental illness and helped people in Canada who struggle with issues know they are not alone and give them tools and support to help them move forward.
Everyone makes mistakes, bad decisions, has bad luck and dreadful setbacks in their lives, lifestyle or relationships. These can happen at work, home and in the many of different day to day interactions we may have at any given moment.
No one is immune.
They key to overcoming any setback is learning from our mistakes and taking on the challenge of turning obstacles and negative experiences into positive opportunities; we want to turn setbacks into success. This advice can work anyone.
Our TWIST athletes and clients go through setbacks in their training, in their performance and in their day to day lives. We are often part trainer, part coach and part psychologist – so every bit of positive advice can help.
Take some and pass it on!
In the world of performance, failure creates the best opportunities for learning and getting better. In life the same is true if you approach it with the right attitude and energy. Setbacks are simply situations we can learn from, they do not need to be failures. A setback might be exactly what we need to get where we want to be.
In a great post on success.com Patti Johnson discusses 8 ways Successful People Handle Setbacks . Her article is more related to the business world but everything she says applies to athletes and everyone young and old as great real world advice as well.
Here is how successful people handle setbacks:
E xpect Setbacks: Every successful person experiences setbacks. It goes hand in hand with trying something bigger and better. Setbacks happen, so expect them and accept them when they come. Look at setbacks are a badge of honor. It means that you are doing something hard. Embrace your badge of honor and own it!
Set Time Limits for Disappointment: Allow yourself time to acknowledge your feelings of disappointment. But put a time limit on how long you will focus on that feeling. You might still feel disappointment, but redirect that redirect that emotional energy toward progress. Turn that frown upside down!
Use Less emotion; Get more information: Objectively size up what happened. Was there an event or decision that created a change in course? Be a researcher and actually write down what worked and what didn’t. Write down what factors created the setback. Seeing the facts on paper void of emotion can crystallize the facts. Be objective.
This will aid in preparing a solution or preventing a repeat of the same issue. The classic quote from my club volleyball coach applies here, “fool me once shame on you, fool me twice, shame on me.”
Rely on “Now What?”: Successful people find a path to progress . Step back and consider all of your options.
This one resonates with me the most. Don’t panic, stay calm and find YOUR “path to progress”. I approach setbacks with an, every problem has a solution perspective. Stay calm and find a path that helps you navigate through the negative and turn it into something else.
Think, Tomorrow More than Next year: Ask yourself, What can I do tomorrow to make progress? Start there. You need a long-term direction, but sometimes it needs to evolve rather than being an ah-ha moment.
TWIST Holistic Nutritionist Tina Ward always says. keep it simple, do a little better than yesterday. You cannot change everything in your life overnight. “The journey of a thousand miles starts with ONE STEP.” – Lao Tzu –
Learn! Successful people (and successful athletes) have a confident willingness to learn what needs to be learned. A lack of experience or knowledge doesn’t close a door, but defines what must be learned.
This is when growth, development and getting BETTER happens!
Manage Self-talk: Setbacks and disappointment can create self-doubt. Manage your internal thoughts so you stay focused on the future and what you can do next. Give yourself credit for doing something important, taking risks, and trying something new.
One of our Core TWIST Value is Quarterback Your Own Wellness. This means ultimately you are responsible for you. We take charge and are in control of our own physical, mental and emotional health and vitality. Security, stability and a healthy way of life are essential to us. To be a leader of many, you must start by being a leader of one. Exercising our body, mind and spirit keeps us in optimal health so that we are able to do the same for others. It is ours to influence.
Setbacks happen to everyone, they can happen any day at any time. We cannot avoid them but how we react to them can define the future. If handled correctly, a setback is merely a setup for a comeback!
