5 Tips to overcome setbacks and challenges

While watching the latest series of Masterchef …… (How much does Greg Wallace love his food??!!), I was struck by the strength of the emotions that the contestants experienced as they found out their fate: the elation of those who had ‘gotten one of the coveted Masterchef aprons’ and the disappointment of those who didn’t. However, even more interesting, was how some of the people who didn’t get through felt it was the end of the road for them and their dream, while for others it was disappointing but it wasn’t the end…. just a setback and they would find another way forward.

...Think back to when you first started your business or took on your current leadership role…. I imagine you were full of enthusiasm and motivation and excited by the possibilities and how great it was all going to be……If you’re still in that place then I have no doubt that you are an inspiration for those around you. Lucky them! However, for many of us when we first embark on a new venture our motivation and enthusiasm is high but then as time goes on  and we experience the twists and turns and ups and downs and setbacks our motivation can take a dip and we can start to question what we are doing and whether it can actually work. The truth is this is normal, but it’s what you do with it that will make all the difference to you, your business or your organisation…..

So what would your typical response be in this kind of situation? How would you feel? What would you do? Would you react, respond or just think that it was all doomed to failure?

I once read that people who avoid failure can never be successful…. Thomas Edison, famous scientist and inspiring leader said about overcoming failure, ‘Many of life’s failures are men who didn’t realise how close they were to success when they gave up.’

It is clear that we cannot always choose or control what happens in any given situation or how people act towards us,  but we certainly can choose how we respond to it…….  And that is where our power lies……… Here are some things to that you could do when facing a setback or challenge:

1.    Talk to your someone eg coach, colleague. This will help you gain perspective.

2.    Allow yourself to feel what you feel. This is about being kind to yourself and accepting where you are at. It is all part of the journey.

3.    Ask yourself what you could have done differently? Reflecting on the situation will help you see areas where you could have made different choices or perhaps taken different actions. This will help you be specific about what it was that occurred that made it a setback or a challenge as opposed to thinking that the whole thing was a failure.

4.    Ask yourself what could you can learn from the experience?

5.    Take action! Implement the actions that need to be done to ensure that the same setback doesn't happen again. This will help you to feel that you are taking control of the situation. It will also help you move forward, which will in itself alter your perspective…..

Setbacks and challenges will always happen, they are opportunities to help us learn and grow and develop.….. However, it can also be helpful when planning to think in advance about what setbacks and challenges could potentially come up.... Now of course that leads us into planning but that is another subject for another day!