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Your weekly dose of motivation is BACK and today we are talking setbacks and comebacks. This is NOT easy to talk about because who really wants to talk about failure?! BUT, don’t you think we should every now and then? I definitely do because A) it normalizes it! Everyone fails sometime we just don’t always see it flaunted across social media. Talking about it makes it a little bit more normal and okay in today’s society. And B) It makes success THAT much sweeter. Sometimes you have to talk about where you’ve been to really appreciate where you are.

First and foremost, setbacks come in all shapes and sizes. What may seem like a setback to you may be just another day for someone else. Whether you are listening to a friend, your boyfriend, your co-worker or a stranger, you have to be sensitive to how that individual defines a ‘setback’ because at the end of the day it’s more mental than anything else. For me, it totally depends on my mood! Some days I define something as little as getting a cryptic e-mail or negative feedback on a project as a setback. On other days, so much goes wrong that setbacks can only be defined as catastrophic fires!

Regardless of what the ‘setback’ is, it is essential that it motivates your comeback. Comebacks can be acing a presentation, getting a promotion or none of the above! My favorite comebacks are ones that make me feel more confident and more positive about my everyday. It doesn’t mean I’ve achieved something major, it just makes me feel like ‘I love this, and I’ve got this!’

Overall, we need a balance of setbacks and comebacks in our lives. Setbacks are how we learn what works and what doesn’t, what we love and what we don’t, and who we need and who we don’t. Comebacks help us progress, they give us a path forward and are a helluva great way to celebrate all of your hard work.

Lately, I’ve been feeling like the setbacks are outweighing the comebacks and it is extremely exhausting. I’m constantly saying to myself, ‘I just need a win, just a little win’ to get me through the next week/month/quarter. That said, it’s been REALLY hard to stay positive and continue to look on the bright side, but I’ve been learning a ton. I’ve learned how to do my job better. I’ve learned what my limits are. I’ve learned how to manage my time better. The list can go on and on. With so many setbacks, it is easy to feel uncertain about things, but I’m very certain that my next comeback will be AMAZING.

Now I want to hear from YOU! How do you balance your setbacks and comebacks? What are your tips to make setbacks small and comebacks BIG?