A setback is a failure, an obstacle, something that knocks us back and keeps us from moving forward.
Also, setbacks can be extremely helpful for our growth and development as individuals if we choose to look at them accurately.
For instance, many successful people in history had various setbacks in life and career because they made them stronger and wiser.
Consider these examples:
- Thomas Edison failed 10,000 times before he came up with the light bulb; In response to a question about his missteps, Edison once said, “I have not failed 10,000 times—I’ve successfully found 10,000 ways that will not work.”
7 Epic Fails Brought to You By the Genius Mind of Thomas Edison. Read more
- Henry Ford Optimism Ford’s path to building his car for the multitudes had many curves and hills, not to mention detours and dead ends. The Story of a Bold Dreamer.
- In the early 1900s, “No man of money even imagined it as an option,” said Henry Ford about his lackluster initial reception from investors and banks when he tried selling them the new idea called automobiles…
- Thomas Edison and others promoted the idea of electric cars, but Ford believed in the gas-powered internal combustion engine. And he failed twice before he finally started Ford Motor Company in 1903.
- Walt Disney was fired from an advertising agency because he wasn’t creative enough; In 1919, Disney was fired from one of his first animation jobs at the Kansas City Star newspaper; the editor felt he “lacked imagination and had no good ideas,” according to The Wisdom of Oz.
- That wasn’t the last of his failures. Disney then acquired Laugh-O-Gram, an animation studio he later drove into bankruptcy. Finally, he decided to set his sights on a more profitable area: Hollywood.
- Colonel Harland Sanders: in the early 1920s, he became the top salesman in Kentucky and was fired because of his temper.
- Time magazine reports that he was fired from dozens more jobs before closing his first restaurant and going broke at age 65.
- He was reportedly fired from two separate railroad jobs, once for insubordination, the other for fighting a colleague, and as a country lawyer after assaulting his client.
- It wasn’t until 1964, when Sanders was 74, that the Colonel had more than 600 franchised outlets for his chicken, and he sold his interest in the company for $2 million to a group of investors, according to Biography.com.
- Oprah Winfrey: was fired from her evening news reporter gig with Baltimore’s WJZ-TV. A Baltimore TV producer reportedly told her she was “unfit for television news;” she got too emotionally invested in her stories.
- As a consolation, he offered her a role on a daytime TV show and People Are Talking.
- According to Biography.com, the show became a hit, and Winfrey stayed for eight years, according to Biography.com.
- Winfrey eventually became the host of The Oprah Winfrey Show, which aired for 25 seasons. She’s currently worth an estimated $3 billion, according to Forbes.
Although these experiences may have felt like failures at the time, they were setbacks that ultimately helped these individuals become stronger and more successful.
The Importance of Setbacks!
Delays are almost always considered negative experiences, especially when they are large or unexpected events.
However, if we look a little deeper, we’ll see that the importance of setbacks can be extremely significant.
For example, a setback can help you
- Develop self-awareness and self-confidence.
- – Realize what does and does not work for you.
- – Regain control of your life when it feels out of control.
- – Learn from your mistakes.
- – Become more resilient and flexible as an individual. – Grow as a person and become stronger.
- – Find new opportunities that you otherwise never would have found.
How to Make the Most Out of Setbacks!
There are many ways to make the most out of the setback experience.
The first thing you need to do is to accept your setback as an inevitable part of life.
Even though this may sound a bit odd, especially if you’re currently experiencing a setback, it’s extremely important to realize that setbacks happen to everyone.
As you get used to setbacks, it becomes easier to accept and deal with them as they come. Another thing that you should do is to try to find a silver lining in your setback.
It would be extremely helpful for your mental health and helps to see the setback in a positive light, which can make it easier to deal with.
The Struggle Is Real…But So Is Hope!
Setbacks can be extremely tough, especially if they are large or unexpected events that completely change your life.
It can be incredibly hard to deal with the emotions that come with a setback, especially if it is something that you never saw coming.
For many people, the emotions that can come with a setback can almost feel like a dark cloud that hangs over your head and doesn’t let go.
It can be hard to see the light at the end of the tunnel when you are completely submerged in sadness and despair.
However, it is extremely important to remember that the struggle you are experiencing is real, but so is hope.
How to Get Back Up When You’re Falling!
One of the most important things to remember if you are experiencing a setback is that failing is inevitable, but getting back up is optional.
As a matter of fact, it’s easy to tell yourself that you failed and that you will never be able to recover from that.
However, it is important to remember that every time you fail, you have the option to get back up again, and you can come out of the situation stronger than before.
Conclusion
Life always has the potential to throw us obstacles and setbacks.
There are many ways we can look at these events for growth, whether by using them as an opportunity or just getting back up after being knocked down once again!
Thanks for reading!