A setback is an important sign that we are in a “learning zone”.
If you are not experiencing setbacks, chances are you have wrapped yourself up too tightly in the comfort zone.
Do not let setbacks keep you down, instead use the S.A.C.R.E.D. frame to help you move through them.
Separate yourself from the setback. Early in my career, I took setbacks far too personally and this chipped away at my self-esteem until I learned to separate setback from self.
Anticipate the rewards beyond the setback. There is no achievement or aspired future that that comes without some struggle or sacrifice.
Construct positive self-talk. Setbacks linger when you let negative, self-defeating language dominate your self-talk.
Reflect during setbacks and take note of your emotions and actions that you want to modify. Do you simply need to turn your perspective a few degrees or do you need a radical adjustment to move through the setback?
Elicit feedback from stakeholders for ideas and approaches for the future.
Develop multiple options (ideally three) that you can use to compare ways to move through a setback. Options mean choice, and choices empower us.
How you can you make your setbacks more S.A.C.R.E.D.?
Image from Go Graphics #76181208