3 Ways To Recover From A Setback

You’re going to fail at different things in this life. It’s inevitable, but you’ll learn from those failures and hopefully understand what to do differently next time. A number of the ones you experience will also cause setbacks too, but you can recover from those as well.

There are areas I've failed in and recovered from too.

Something like failing a test can prompt you to buckle down and study harder. A failed project at work can show you what does and doesn’t work so you succeed with the next upcoming assignment. Overspending and getting in debt may prompt you to budget and exercise better self-control. I’ve found that failures and setbacks can be recovered from if you’re willing to change. 3 ways to recover from a setback?

Reflect. Whenever I’ve had a setback, made a dumb decision (and lived with the consequences), or failed at something, I reflect on what happened and ask myself, “What can I learn from this?” Reflecting prompts introspection, your role in the setbacks you’ve had, and how you can move forward. Some situations and circumstances will be out of your control but making decisions is a choice. You decide whether to go to school or not. You decide to follow instructions or choose to rebel. And you decide how to manage your finances. What kind of decisions are you making?

Strategize. A great strategy can be highly effective. When I was a broke college student, I maxed out a credit card my freshman year. And guess who paid for that choice? Me. My mom helped me strategize how to pay the card off and once I did, I learned a valuable lesson about money and delayed gratification. I learned to use cash, budget, and to assess the difference between wants and needs. What strategies can you implement in your own various setbacks?

Go Forward. It’s okay to be sad, angry, and disappointed when you face a setback of any kind, but don’t stay in those areas. You’ve got work to do. And you’re going to be okay. Don’t be deterred because you’ve made mistakes. I’ve made a lot of them and I’m still standing. God knew what mistakes you’d make before you even made them. Take things one step at a time and move forward. You’re going to be okay. You’ve got this.

The Day I Became A Kidney Donor

About a year ago, I had a dream my dad wanted to talk to our family about something serious. I wasn’t sure what he wanted to discuss, but I knew it was something I needed to prepare myself for. Around the time after I had this dream, I remember stopping by my parents place and sensing something was going on that they weren’t telling me. I tried to dismiss what I’d been feeling, but I couldn’t shake it. Something serious was happening. As I returned to my home after visiting them one day, I was in my kitchen washing dishes when a heaviness hit my heart like nothing I’d ever felt before. Something’s wrong with dad. That’s what that dream was about. God, what’s going on? As I continued washing dishes, I started crying and praying. Then in mid-spring, my dad held an unexpected family meeting that would change all our lives forever. He hesitated at first, and as his voice started cracking and he started crying, he said, “Well, I wanted to talk to ya’ll to tell you that I have kidney disea...

I’m Glad I’m Not Married

When I was about five years old, I was sitting in the backseat of my dad’s car when me, him, my older cousin (my aunt’s son), and my aunt (my dad’s sister) caught my aunt’s fiancé with another woman. My dad had been driving my aunt out to run some errands since she didn’t have a driver’s license or a car. When she spotted her man with another woman, she told my dad to pull the car over, got out of the car, and immediately addressed him. She wanted the keys back to her apartment and was done with him. The other woman she caught her fiancé with slapped him when she realized what was happening, and that was that. When my aunt returned to the car, she was clearly and understandably upset, and the ride back to her place was quiet. Although I was too young to fully grasp what was happening at the time, I knew it wasn’t good. And now, at 34 years old, I can’t imagine how much pain she was in. Her wedding had been planned and paid for – and she never made it down the aisle. My aunt was a beaut...

How To Respond To A Nasty Email

Technology has made many people bold, rude, and incredibly messy. Often to the point where some may hide behind words they’ve typed instead of verbally communicating a message they want to convey. Such can be the case when it comes to sending emails. Ah, emails. You know what they are. Electronic messages that can be quickly drafted, sent, and misinterpreted (because you can’t always interpret tones or emotions through them). Which is why it’s key to know how to respond to nasty emails if they should ever come your way – especially in the workplace. As a working professional, there have been plenty of times when a coworker or superior sent an email my way that was petty, mad disrespectful, and unprofessional. And before I learned how to properly utilize email etiquette, my first instinct would always be to clap back. I just felt the need to respond and to communicate that I wouldn’t allow anyone, no matter who they were, to disrespect me. And while I haven’t taken t...

Making Waves