Working In Your Business After A Setback
You might think you can tackle all the ups and downs that entrepreneurship has to offer, but there will be times that something personal will impact your business; a family emergency, a bereavement, an illness or suffering a setback from an opportunity that you’d hoped would take your business to the next level.
It can be hard to keep motivated in your professional life when your personal life takes a hit and a situation brings you back to earth with a bang when all had been going so well up to that point.
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As an entrepreneur, you have an internal drive, a can-do attitude, and are most likely a self-starter who gets things done in your business every day. You’ll have a great support group around you and will be working towards that business goal with great gusto until…..
Something happens that takes your breath away, that makes you reassess your situation, and you have no compass for a while. You feel like a rudderless boat just hoping to find the shore and get back on solid ground.
When this happens, it can feel like every day’s just about getting by, just about putting one foot in front of the other. You feel like a failure, that you’ve done something wrong, or that you expected it to all go wrong.
They say ‘What doesn’t kill you makes you stronger’ but it’s those ‘rock bottom’ moments when all the hard work feels like it was for nothing, when something life changing happens for the worst, when you lose a loved one or a dear friend - these are the times that show you what you want to make important in your life, that help you reassess and re-calibrate and help build you back up again. Rock bottom moments are those where things can only get better, but you’ll obviously need some time to heal and restructure your plans going forward. Having an overall plan and strategy is what will help you get back on track from a setback in your business.
Remember that feeling won’t last forever, you need to learn from the experience of a setback or loss. When you lose something or someone, there’s always a lesson learned. These experiences are necessary in business and in life because if you don't experience a situation that brings you to your lowest point, then you’ll never take the chances needed to create the life you want because you’ll always play it safe. You’ll never take the risks that will bring you to where you should be, and to push for what you really want. Going through the motions is a waste of energy and of the opportunities and chances that you can create every brand-new day.
There is no such thing as failure, just learning from mistakes and setbacks. Everything happens for a reason, embrace it and take stock in it – it may not become clear any time soon, but it will as time goes by. Sometimes the No’s you get in business or in life will bring you to the Yes that builds your business and life for the better.
Once you announce your plans to the universe to make changes in your life, it will test and challenge you one way or another, and they can be big tests and challenges, but you will be stronger because of it. This is because you’ll make stronger connections, have a stronger business, and have stronger relationships – because you’ll learn from those low points.
Look at the person you have become, keep learning and make your needs and wants a priority – stick to your plan. Take time out to learn from the experiences, to grieve, to take stock. The setbacks will take their toll at the time, but in time, they will help you reassess what’s important in your life and teach you how to be stronger and more resilient.
