A Setback Is Not a Defeat; It’s a Set-up for a Comeback

By Tricia Scott. 

Today, I want to talk to you about perspective.

Entrepreneurship and business ownership can be a wild ride, can't it? A proverbial rollercoaster of emotion. One minute, you're at the top of the tracks and almost flying, and the next, plummeting towards Earth at a speed that can only be comprehended by that weird thing your stomach does when it feels like you've left it behind at the top of the ride.

The highs are incredible; we are capable of anything, arms in the air and wind in our hair, but the lows? Well. They can feel utterly crippling, and being an entrepreneur means that we can sometimes get to experience both on the same day or even at the same hour! Yay!  😏

As it is my job to talk to other business owners daily, I get to study their behaviour (read, nosy). What I find fascinating is that while the highs are great, they are wiped out in a hot minute when a setback comes along.

Poof! Gone and forgotten.  

What's gives? My theory is that it all comes down to fear.

Fear of success, fear of failure of what others might think... the list goes on.

Let's examine the fear of success more closely. When I discuss this on stage, this is usually where I get hands shooting in the air or a room full of confused faces.

This is where we get to perspective. Everyone understands the fear of failure, but fear is a complex thing. It's usually when we experience success that it shows up strongest because it's only when we have something to lose that we fear losing it. A setback when we are otherwise experiencing success often feels like an 'I knew this would happen'. It's that confirmation that the other shoe was about to drop all along. I guess the doubters were right. Right?

Wrong.

None of this is reality; it's perception and perspective, and the only way out of this mindset is through it because it's on the other side of fear that we find out what we are capable of. Every single time you step through (not around) the discomfort, you expand your comfort zone, breathe a little deeper and stand a little taller.

Setbacks are setups for comebacks.

When you change your mind, you change your life ← Read that again.  

It doesn't happen overnight. Changing your perspective is a case-by-case basis and a lifelong commitment to improvement. By the very fact that you're reading this, I know you can do it; you just need to trust the process.

Change might not seem like much on a daily basis, but it leads to massive success over time. Every one of those tiny steps leads you to the life you dream of when your head hits the pillow every night.  

You won't be perfect, so let that go. Embrace the journey of continuous improvement, and let yourself off that hook. The time will pass anyway, so we might as well learn along the way. 

In the words of Wayne Gretzky, you will miss 100 per cent of the shots you don't take. So what are you waiting for?

I believe in you (always).

👉🏼If you want to journey with me through 2024, I email our Hello CEO mailing list every Monday. To join, head to The Homepage and sign up!

Tricia Scott is a passionate startup business mentor and the Founder and Editor of The Female CEO - Create Evolve Overcome, a platform and digital magazine holding the space to showcase female entrepreneurs from all over the world. 

The Female CEO is gaining global recognition daily and Tricia is able to bring her own level of expertise as a start-up mentor and multi-company director to her very exclusive table along with her team of brilliant Guest Editors and Contributors. You'll usually find her with her MacBook in one hand and a coffee or a glass of something fizzy in the other. Reach out anytime!