This article contains information on how setbacks are necessary for Success.
Do you believe that setbacks are necessary for success?
After five years of building the product, Jacks and his team decided to launch their brand youtech service. A date was fixed, the venue was set, emails were sent to stakeholders, publicity was done and every resource and human effort was converged to see to Jack’s dream actualization. However, on this fateful day of launching, unexpectedly there was a heavy rain. Jacks, his team member and three others who were lucky to arrive very early were the only ones in the 1,000 person capacity hall. What about the refreshment? Would they go wasted? Should we go ahead with the launch with a little over 10 persons when we are expecting over 1,000 visitors? Should we postpone the event? What about the hall we’ve paid for? A venture capitalist funded this because he saw a future Jack’s dream. All this ran through his bitter mind till the rain stopped later in the evening.
This situation is an example of a setback and every human at one point or the other has faced it, but the difference is how we react to them. It could be a rejection letter from a proposal, a failure in a professional exam or you hear words like “No”, ‘This is the worst proposal I have ever seen’, ‘No future in this’ etc. But do you know that they could be stepping stones to another mega success? In fact, it would interest you to know that both success and setback can stand as hindrances to your future accomplishment; it all depends on the individual in question. Even though it does not sound realistic, but you can celebrate setbacks just as you celebrate success. Setbacks give you the opportunity to build strength and learn new thing because you continue to see things from diverse perspectives.
Let’s share some of the ways setbacks can help you win more
5 WAYS SETBACK HELP YOU SUCCEED
When you get rejected or lose a game, it is not the time to waste the day or weeks crying or nursing a resentful spirit towards the person who frustrated your plans, it is a wakeup call for you to make adjustments. You should ask yourself, why was I rejected? Is there something I did not do well? Where exactly did I make the mistake? For instance, if you received a rejection letter for a proposal you submitted, pick up the rejection letter, read through, ask questions from loved ones or your colleagues to help you identify your lapses constructively and help you improve better. You pick the suggestions that you think can help you and leave the rest. Do a revision in your closet and make the necessary changes. What did you notice here? Since you are going to be starting all over again, which I know would not be easy, but you learn more. That in itself is a win for you.
So, below are ways in which setbacks are necessary for success:
1. Setbacks also give you the opportunity to think of new and better plans.
They are like challenges; hence they would push you beyond your preconceived limits. You think of a better plan or you do a revamp for your previous plan. Note that you shouldn’t do the same thing again and expect a different result. No! It can never happen. Jacks in our previous story can learn a few lessons from his experience. They might be more careful when picking dates for events especially considering the weather or season, this setback would also give them the time to look again at their products and make necessary adjustments. The team would also have ample time to push their products via the media to highlight the product’s benefits. What a great opportunity if utilized well!
2. You build your mind when you fail once or twice and it would help you cope with failures in the future.
The late Steve Jobs of Apple, one of the tech giants in the world was fired by shareholders of the company he founded. Can you imagine! While on ‘exile’, he fine-tuned his skills, got more designs and the results are the beautiful IPhones, Mac books we see today. He must have had his downtimes. But he did not let that determine his future. Instead, he learnt from the incidents and made a fortune out of it. That experience built his mind, added to his encyclopedia of experiences which he later used as a his leadership style to teach and mentor others. Apple is still in operation till today.
3. Setbacks prepares you for anything.
So when things don’t work as expected, your previous experience would help you manage the situation instead of carried away by emotions. The current pandemic plaguing the world is a major setback and it is expected the previous disease a few years ago called SARS, which the world recovered from could have served as a benchmark for combating this disease.
4. Setbacks also have a way to put people in check.
Whenever Aliko Dangote remembers all his failures and rejections, it stops him from making silly mistakes. One of the reasons why many try to give back to the society by taking part in humanitarian activities is because they have been in such situation, hence that would help them relate to the plight of those in need.
5. Setbacks boost your confidence the more.
Thomas Edison, the man the world believes brought about electricity in the early 19th century made mistakes for about 99 times before getting it right. Those trials and error built his confidence over time and made him own his work. Because of the various phrases, Thomas Edison better understood his work; hence presenting it to the world must have been a piece of cake. Imagine repeating a course more than once, taking it for the third time would boost your confidence if you have properly learnt from your mistakes. You would most certainly be sure of a pass because for about two years you have gotten acquitted with the course, so nothing new really!
In conclusion, life is a school, setbacks part of the curriculum for each session, so as a student how do you deal with them at various stages in life. Do you drop the course or you face it squarely with a good grade? That is a question to ponder. But in the meantime, the last time I checked, NO is not NEVER.