It is not possible to win high-level success without meeting opposition, hardship, and setback. But it is possible to use setbacks to propel you forward. Let’s see how.
Air travel is a magnificently safe way to go these days. Unfortunately, air accidents still occur. But when they do, the Civil Aviation Administration is on the scene quickly to find out what caused the crash.
The CAA studies setbacks to pave the way to safer air travel. And it’s obvious that their efforts pay off.
Doctors use setbacks to pave the way to better health and longer life.
The football coach who wins more games than he loses goes over the details of each game with his team to point out their mistakes.
CAA officials, successful sales executives, physicians, football coaches, and professionals in every field follow this success principle: salvage something from every setback.
When a setback hits us personally, our first impulse is often to become so emotionally upset that we fail to learn the lesson.
We can turn setbacks into victories. Find the lesson, apply it, and then look back on defeat and smile.
Defeat is only a state of mind, and nothing more.
Decide right now to salvage something from every setback. Next time things seem to go wrong on the job or at home, calm down and find out what caused the trouble. This is the way to avoid making the same error twice.
Being self-critical is constructive. It helps you to build the personal strength and efficiency needed for success. Blaming others is destructive. You gain absolutely nothing from “proving” that someone else is wrong.
Don’t, of course, try to find your faults so you can say to yourself, “Here’s another reason I’m a loser.”
Instead view your mistakes as “Here’s another way to make me a bigger winner.”
Instead of blaming luck, research those setbacks. If you lose, learn.
We must have persistence. But persistence is only one of the ingredients of victory. We can try and try, and try and try and try again, and still fail, unless we combine persistence with experimentation.
Stay with your goal. Don’t waver an inch from it. But don’t beat your head against a wall. If you aren’t getting results, try a new approach.
Here are two suggestions for developing greater power to experiment, the ingredient that, when blended with persistence, gets results.
- Tell yourself, “There IS a way.” All thoughts are magnetic.
“There is a way to solve this problem,” and positive thoughts rush into your mind to help you find a solution. It’s believing there is a way that is important.
A problem, a difficulty, becomes unsolvable only when you think it is unsolvable. Attract solutions by believing solutions are possible.
- Back off and start afresh.
When you hit a snag, don’t throw up the whole project.
Instead, back off, get mentally refreshed. Try something as simple as playing some music or taking a walk or a short nap. Then, when you tackle it again, the solution often comes almost before you know it.
IN QUICK REVIEW
The difference between success and failure is found in one’s attitudes toward setbacks, handicaps, discouragements, and other disappointing situations. Five guideposts to help you turn defeat into victory are:
- Study setbacks to pave your way to success. When you lose, learn, and then go on to win next time.
- Have the courage to be your own constructive critic. Seek out your faults and weaknesses and then correct them. This makes you a professional.
- Stop blaming luck. Research each setback. Find out what went wrong. Remember, blaming luck never got anyone where they wanted to go.
- Blend persistence with experimentation. Stay with your goal but don’t beat your head against a stone wall. Try new approaches. Experiment.
- Remember, there is a good side in every situation. Find it. See the good side and whip discouragement.
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