Don't Let Setbacks, Hold You Back. Take a Breath and Make a Comeback. 😠

Published: Sun, 05/24/20

It Doesn't Get Easier, You Get Stronger.
— Steve Maraboli

All's well with the world, and suddenly I hit a brick wall. It was short-lived, but while I was writing this week, I started dwelling on my defeats and setbacks as a writer.
Where did that come from?

That Setback Hurt but the Comeback, Wow!!!!

For a scary moment, I questioned my purpose, I felt hopeless and helpless. And that Gentle Reader is a feeling I wouldn't want to wish on anyone. Luckily I have tools I use to get me over these bumps, and one of those tools is by adjusting my attitude.
If you are reading this now, you undoubtedly live in the Western world and have access to technology, which makes you more privileged than millions of others living in poverty. My issues pale into insignificance compared to what my brothers in Sudan are experiencing, for example.

I should have no excuses. I live in a country with all resources I need to set myself right back on the path I'm deviating from.
That feeling of defeat can be debilitating whether you've just been through it or it's a painful memory. But its never over when you have the right attitude.
We must never believe we are powerless in the face of our defeats. It may feel like life imposes itself upon us in cruel and unjust ways, but it's how we decide to interpret what happens to us that counts.

Just remember you can do it, you've done it before. Cast your memory back to a time when you suffered defeat - we all have these stories and recall how you overcame setback. Even the present world situation has proven a challenge for many. This time of uncertainty, grief, and quarantine will have stories of triumph and failure. But isn't it your interpretation that makes it a win or a loss? I'm blessed to have writing as my retreat when the shit hits the fan. It allows me to push forward under the radar and re-emerge when I'm able. I tend to not allow myself to stay incognito for too long because we mustn't stay down, or our self-esteem and character will be compromised.

Let me repeat: It's not what happens to us but our attitude towards the events.

Victor Frankl's groundbreaking book, Man's Search for Meaning, underscores that our attitude is the last remaining hope after everything is taken away from us. Held in a Nazi concentration camp Victor Frankl and his fellow Jews were subjected to some of the worst atrocities humans have inflicted on there own. His parents, brother, and wife died in the camps or were sent to the gas ovens. Except for his sister, his entire family perished. Frankl himself suffered torture and innumerable indignities, never knowing from one moment to the next if his path would lead to the ovens or if he would be among the saved who would remove the bodies or shovel out the ashes of friends and loved ones.
But he came to this conclusion after his absolutely horrendous experience.

"Everything can be taken from a man but one thing: the last of the human freedoms - to choose one's attitude in any given set of circumstances, to choose one's own way."

So no matter what we go through, it's our attitude that will allow us to triumph or fail. And to me, that's good news. We have the power, and that means we have no excuses.

If You're Going Through Hell, Keep Going.

Winston Churchill

Stay safe and healthy family. Please practice hand-washing and social distancing, and check out the online resources for adapting to these times.
Remember, we’ll get through this together.

Peace, love and Power

Anton