Even with the best action plan, the most passion and all the odds stacked in your favor; there will be times that you experience setbacks and there will be moments when you think of giving it all up. Facing discouragement is one of the most concrete and steadfast aspects of achieving anything.
But this is all about how you frame that setback mentally.
We can view setbacks as failures.
As proof that we weren’t up to the task.
As a lesson that we shouldn’t stretch ourselves too much.
OR we can view every problem as a challenge.
And every failure as a learning curve and a chance to come back stronger.
Try to think of life as an action film. Think of it like an episode of Dragon Ball Z. Your opponents aren’t alien invaders or martial artists, they’re a lack of funds, or a lack of time. They’re people telling you it can’t be done.
But every time you get sent home covered in bruises, this is just a chance to learn from your mistakes, to get stronger and to come back and kick ass.
The harder the challenge. The more insurmountable the odds. The more ass you get to kick. The more triumphant your eventual, inevitable victory will be.
You can respond to a setback in two ways. You can give up and let it win, or you can get tougher and come back and win. You can choose to try harder. Those are the two options – there is no third alternative!
Do you want to give up? Or do you want to BE BETTER and get it done?
You only fail when you stop trying.
Energy Management
That said, it can help to be strategic as well in your approach to combating these challenges. One example of a challenge many of us will fail when aiming for any goal, is the challenge of energy management.
When you aim for a goal, you will often notice that it takes up time. It’s hard squeezing your workouts in after work because you only have so much time in the evenings!
Except time isn’t the real challenge here.
Much more serious than the challenge of time is the challenge of energy.
You probably have loads of time that’s probably why you can fit in so much trashy TV! But if you get home from the office and you feel exhausted, then that will really prevent you from writing, training or building your business.
So think about this and manage your energy. Do that by removing other parts of your routine so that you actually have the time and space to get things done (this might mean socializing less, or cancelling a weekly class). Do it by getting more sleep. Do it by reducing the housework by getting a washing machine. Do it by taking an energy supplement (might I suggest cordyceps sinensis?).
Whatever the case, start making small changes. Address what’s making it hard in your life and fix your routine to support the goals that matter so much to you.
And if none of that works, then consider making your goals smaller. If you’re not managing to do 15 minutes of training a day, make it 5 minutes.
Because it’s better to have a small goal and stick with it, than it is to have a massive goal and not stick with it!
© Work Hard & Feel Good ©
