9 Steps To Creating Your Greatest Comeback Story

You’re going to make mistakes.

You’re not going to make the journey to success without getting knocked down. You’re going to make mistakes.

You’re going to do things that end up costing you money, time, and friendships with people you love. You’re going to feel depressed, forlorn, and completely demotivated.

It doesn’t matter how smart you are in your journey to be successful or how much money you have while you’re journeying. If you want something big and bold and precious to you, you’re going to make mistakes in the pursuit of it.

You’re going to try things and realize too late that it was just a waste of your time.

The only remedy for failure is to get back on your feet. To try again.

But that’s not an easy process.

Trying again after you’ve already failed is tough. But it’s your only option.

If you’re not going to give up, then the only other thing you can do is press forward.

Getting good at getting back up is a skill you’re going to need to master. Here’s how you do that:

1. Realize that your failure isn’t the end of the world. You’re just like every other amazing person who accomplished something of note.
2. Spend some time with a notepad and pen digging into why you think you failed. Don’t play nice with yourself. Dig into the cause of why things didn’t work out.
3. Take time to blow off some steam. Maybe it’s CrossFit, running, cycling, Taekwondo or a steam bath — physical exercise sharpens your mind and forces you to step back and think a bit more honestly about what just happened.
4. Put together a short list of people who could help you avoid failure in the future. They could be an expert in your craft or just inspiring people who keep you grounded and excited.
5. Plan out your next attempt towards success using your new knowledge of what won’t work. Dive into the details and challenge yourself to give everything you have to this next go-around.
6. Allocate time each day to learning, reading, and growing. You need to refill all of the emotional fuel that you are burning in your pursuit of greatness. That’s where a good book comes in
7. Hire a great coach or find an accountability partner. It’s easier to spot problems in someone else’s life than it is to uncover weaknesses in your own.
8. Do one small thing each day that you can call a success. It might be calling a friend or researching a new idea or just heading back into the office for a few extra hours of effort.
9. Make time each day for introspection, meditation, or quietness. Often your hustle masks the real problems. When you stop and think, your dream becomes an obsession and you automatically figure out where is to get closer to where you want to be.

There’s no easy pathway to success.

There is no easy, automatic plan that will help you feel better when you’ve experienced epic failure.

It’s never going to feel good to lose. You’re never going to be completely comfortable being uncomfortable.

But you don’t have to stay beaten. You don’t need to let the brokenness of your current situation become your life-long story.

Love yourself enough to keep trying. Believe in yourself enough to do what it takes.

Get back on your feet. Rebound. You might be closer to the finish line than you think.

Originally published at danwaldschmidt.com on June 20, 2017.