“Every setback is a set up for a great comeback.”
Unknown
Recently I’ve had a few setbacks in life, as we all do from time to time. When we are faced with a setback, we have a decision to make. We can either let the setback slow us down, discourage us, and bring us down; or we can use the setback to learn, grow, and motivate us to try harder.
I believe it is important to know that setbacks happen to each and everyone of us. No one is unique enough or special enough to escape them. We all are blessed with setbacks that give us opportunities to learn and grow. And just because we experience setbacks, maybe even a lot of them, does not mean we cannot be successful.
Abraham Lincoln is often a common example of someone who experienced a lot of setbacks in his life; yet he never gave up, and he never gave in. Because of his determination and ability to shoulder and move past very difficult setbacks, he became one of the most famous people in the history of our country.
Like Abraham Lincoln, often times I think how we handle setbacks determines our success in life. If we deal with setbacks well and truly view them as an opportunity to have a great comeback, then we will be successful. However if setbacks depress us and ruin our drive to achieve, then we will not be successful. This does not mean we have to be happy and excited about everything that comes our way. Rather, it does mean we will always hope for a brighter day and retain the faith we will prevail as long as we keep pushing forward. It means we will keep trying until we reach our goals.
So how are you handling life’s setbacks? Do you truly view setbacks as an opportunity to improve? If we can change our perspective and understand that setbacks are simply a set up for a great comeback, then we will achieve great things!
Wednesday, July 28, 2010
Tuesday, July 20, 2010
Hard Things
My family and I recently returned from a trip to Utah—hence the dearth in blogs lately…During the trip we spent much of our time at a beautiful lake near the Bear River Mountains. One day our group planned various hikes through the majestic mountains with rugged terrain and peaks that soared to nearly 10,000 feet. With a pregnant wife and three young children my family decided we’d stick to the flat, even surfaced three quarter mile hike. However, at the last minute we decided to try the somewhat steep and rocky 8 mile hike—just to see how far we could make it before turning back. To my surprise, and with my 2 year-old son in arms nearly the entire trip, our family completed the eight mile hike together.
In life, we are often faced with challenges and opportunities that are difficult and often seem impossible. However, our potential and capacity is amazing. Many times we underestimate or do not realize what we can do. Many times we put self-imposed limits on ourselves and fail to venture to the unknown or dare to do the impossible. Whether it’s fear, a lack of confidence, complacency, or other reasons, we often hold back and do not push ourselves. For some reason, somewhere along our life journey, we begin to believe we cannot do hard things. I have learned through this hiking experience and others though that we can do hard things. We can do things that are beyond our own wildest imaginations, if we allow ourselves to believe and try.
At the beginning of the day I never believed my family could or would complete the trip. I thought it would be too difficult for us, but we did it. It wasn’t always easy, and at times I doubted we’d make it all the way; but we did. And because we did, we were able to view some of the most spectacular images and enjoy the peace and serenity of the mountains. We saw wild flowers blooming in colorful, luscious fields, majestic peaks soaring high above us in the air, a buck scampering across snow in search of food, and a calm crystal-clear hidden lake. The reward for our efforts was beauty and tranquility all around us, as well as a great sense of satisfaction and accomplishment. And for my 5 and 6 year-olds, who walked the entire trip on their own, they can now look back on this experience and feel good about who they are and what they can achieve.
So what rewards are we missing, because we are unwilling to do hard things? And why do we deny ourselves of the incredible sense of satisfaction and accomplishment that comes from achieving difficult tasks? Our potential is great, and each of us has the capacity to do great things. Let’s stop holding back, and start believing that we can do hard things!
In life, we are often faced with challenges and opportunities that are difficult and often seem impossible. However, our potential and capacity is amazing. Many times we underestimate or do not realize what we can do. Many times we put self-imposed limits on ourselves and fail to venture to the unknown or dare to do the impossible. Whether it’s fear, a lack of confidence, complacency, or other reasons, we often hold back and do not push ourselves. For some reason, somewhere along our life journey, we begin to believe we cannot do hard things. I have learned through this hiking experience and others though that we can do hard things. We can do things that are beyond our own wildest imaginations, if we allow ourselves to believe and try.
At the beginning of the day I never believed my family could or would complete the trip. I thought it would be too difficult for us, but we did it. It wasn’t always easy, and at times I doubted we’d make it all the way; but we did. And because we did, we were able to view some of the most spectacular images and enjoy the peace and serenity of the mountains. We saw wild flowers blooming in colorful, luscious fields, majestic peaks soaring high above us in the air, a buck scampering across snow in search of food, and a calm crystal-clear hidden lake. The reward for our efforts was beauty and tranquility all around us, as well as a great sense of satisfaction and accomplishment. And for my 5 and 6 year-olds, who walked the entire trip on their own, they can now look back on this experience and feel good about who they are and what they can achieve.
So what rewards are we missing, because we are unwilling to do hard things? And why do we deny ourselves of the incredible sense of satisfaction and accomplishment that comes from achieving difficult tasks? Our potential is great, and each of us has the capacity to do great things. Let’s stop holding back, and start believing that we can do hard things!
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