How to Forge Ahead When Setbacks Strike
Focus on the next behavior, not the next outcome
You will screw up.
This is an irrefutable fact of life. It isn’t a matter of if, but when. The only differentiating factor between you and everyone else is the degree of frequency and seriousness of your bungling.
The challenge we face in this constant carousel of life is to somehow reduce the gravity of our screw-ups, and possibly make them as few and as far between as possible. However, mistakes can actually be a springboard to success, but that is a discussion for another day.
When we don’t find a mechanism to disciple our thought processes, then the missteps we inevitably make as flawed mortals can become internalized to the extent that they become self-inflicted straitjackets, robbing us our competitive edge.
But the most insidious thing is that if you’ve harbored this mental habit long enough, it starts to melt into the background of your mind. After a while, you might not even realize the subtle, yet brutal ways it sabotages your progress.
Therefore, after something goes wrong, when even the best-laid plans go south, what should be our response? How should we handle the aftermath of setbacks?
