You can’t succeed without overcoming some form of setbacks. Success is the product of overcoming challenges, not avoiding it. We look at 10 requisite means to help you overcome setbacks.

1. Recognize Setbacks Are Inevitable

Let face it, it is not possible to succeed without overcoming some form of setbacks. As stated by Rob Liano, “If you expect life to be easy, challenges will seem difficult. If you accept that challenges may occur, life will be easier”. Part of overcoming the truth is accepting the fact that you will face challenges whether you accept it or not. If you are working on any goal, there will be challenges, roadblocks and disappointment along the way. This is different from being pessimistic or negative minded, is called reality. You can only succeed if you accept this fact and are willing to overcome any challenges no matter how hard they hit you.

2. Recognize That Setbacks Are Temporary, Not Permanent

Every setback you face is temporary, unless you allow it to overcome your will. Setbacks are meant to question our will and test our resolve to achieve our goal. They will fizzle away once you decide never to give up. They don’t last and they are not permanent. This is because every setback you experience also has a solution.

3. Setbacks Are Not Failures

Many people confuse setbacks with failure. Every challenge you face is only a setback and is temporary. You only fail to achieve your goal once you decided never to try again after experiencing a setback. Once you decide you will never give up, you can always achieve your goal. Thomas Edison tried 6000 times before successfully inventing his first workable light bulb. Oprah Winfrey was fired from an early TV anchor program and was told she wasn’t deemed fit for TV. Michael Jordan will be cut from his high school basketball team after missing over 9000 shots in his career. The number of setback you experience doesn’t determine your success, your willpower does.

4. Develop A Positive Mindset

Your mindset has a direct bearing on how you perceive and respond to setbacks. If you believe you can overcome every setback to your goal, it is more likely you won’t give even when faced by the most daunting obstacles. Maintaining a positive mindset therefore plays a role in how you perceive and respond to setbacks. People with negative mindset are easily frustrated by challenges. They experience depression, anger and other negative emotion. Setbacks gives you a great opportunity to learn and can become an asset if you maintain a positive outlook. So stay positive and know no matter how difficult your task is things, you will overcome it with persistence and hard work.

5. Take On Challenges

The human mind naturally moves towards areas of least resistance. We prefer to achieve goals with little setbacks and challenges as much as possible. But this is the exact opposite of what you need to succeed. Success comes to those who are able to overcome setbacks, fight competition and eliminates rivalry. Science calls this the process of natural selection or survival of the fittest. So instead of just setting goals that you can achieve easily, challenge yourself to achieve goals that you find difficult. Next time attempt do your morning jugging for 45 minutes instead of the 30 minutes that you usually do. Try and learn for 2 hours instead of your usual 1 hour. Taking up and achieving challenging goals builds your confidence and prepares you to overcomes futures setbacks when they occur.

6. Learn From Others

Every setback you experience today has already been overcome by another person before. Every successful person you see today has faced some sort of setbacks, roadblock or resistance in the past. Consulting such people with experience can help you motivate yourself and energize you to overcome your present challenges. You can refer to a mentor who is much experienced for advice. You can also work with a team on the goal you want to achieve. This reduces the possibility of carrying your burdens alone and increases the support you receive from other team members.

7. Setbacks Needs Critical Thinking Not Worries

Our response to challenges determines the outcome we achieve. If all you do when faced with a difficult situation is to worry and be depressed, then you are exhibiting a negative response. When faced with any challenge or setbacks, we must critically assess our current situation and rationally propose a solution. Our first action in respect to this is to troubleshoot the setbacks and determine the cause of our present challenge. Knowing what has caused your present setback enables you to find a better solution and presents you from repeating futures mistakes that may lead to further challenges.

8. Focus On Your Goal

Whenever you experience setbacks, focus on the benefits you will derive by achieving your goal instead of your present discomfort. Focusing on the bigger picture will allow you to see beyond your current difficulties and motivate you to not give up.  Setback usually short term adverse situations that prevents you from focusing on your long term goals. Staying focused on the benefits of your goal and what you will derive from achieving your goal will motivate you and psychologically strengthen you to overcome such challenges.

9. Motivate Yourself

The human mind response to situations based on the information it been fed with. If you feed your mind with information that motivates you, you will respondent to setbacks with confidence and will be more likely overcomes such challenges. Motivate yourself by reading motivational books and listening to messages that motivates you. My favorite motivational video is a by Eric Thomas Duncan that speaks about overcoming setbacks. I play that video every morning whiles preparing for work. Listening to videos that motivates you fills you with positive vibes that psyche up to overcome setbacks and adversity that comes your way.

10. Be Willing To Start Over

So you didn’t pass your mathematic exams. You couldn’t gain admission the university you applied to. Your bank refused to approve your credit request last week. You feel like giving up in your marriage. Well, be willing to start all over again. Decide no matter how many times you will have to write your exams, you will continue until you achieve the grade you desire. Experiencing temporary challenges may look like failures in our mind but this is far from the truth. The world is full of iconic failures that refused to give up after experiencing setbacks after setbacks.  Colonel Sanders (The founder of KFC) was refused by 1009 restaurants who thought his secret recipe wouldn’t sell. After 1009 tries, the 65 year old succeeded in finding a restaurant that was willing to sell his recipe. One of the most successful presidents of the United State, Abraham Lincoln faced a tall list of setbacks and failures until he was finally voted president of the United States in 1860. A common list of the failures of Abraham Lincoln (along with a few successes) is:

Setbacks are never failures unless you decide to give up after falling. Mark Cuban, another entrepreneur who overcame several setbacks rightly said “It doesn’t matter how many times you have failed; you only have to be right once.