In today’s blog post I wanted to touch on the topic of Setbacks and the expectations vs reality. Trust me you are not alone in experiencing setbacks. Everyone will experience setbacks a couple of times in their life. This is what makes us who we are supposed to be and gives us the strength to navigate through life. Setbacks are situations where life just doesn’t go the way we imagined or hope for. I feel like as humans we want things to go the way we want them to but the hard truth is. . . that is not the reality in this world. Some setbacks could range from being something tiny or major. This can pertain to family, relationships, Jobs, school related or even financially.
Some people may feel like these setbacks are going to last forever or that they will never see anything positive come from it. Just know that eventually you will see the light at the end and hardships that you went through are for a greater purpose. You must be real with yourself and what happened. When you are able to be real with yourself and the situation… you are in the step towards the right direction. I feel that we expect to get over hard setbacks very easily and quickly. This is just not true because recovering from a setback takes time, hard work and a lot of effort. You may also think that you will go through this hardship forever but trust me… that is not the case. You might also think that you do deserve to be where you want to be but you do. You deserve to be where you want in life because anything that you dream of for yourself… you can definitely reach that place. Just trust the process of your life.
The reality of our setbacks can be hard to take in and understand but it’s something that you must do in order to overcome it. You have to come to terms with what exactly happened and what are your next steps moving forward. Just remember to always look forward and never backwards because it will just keep you in the past. You should remember to always focus on the things that you can control. Sometimes we get so caught up in the things that we can’t control. Just know that we can not control everything that happens to us or doesn’t happen to us. Everything will fall into place and you are still on your path of life. I know that it doesn’t look like that and it’s hard to imagine that but just know that it’s true. Just remember to keep a positive outlook and have faith that it will work out for you somehow and someway.
Everyone needs that encouragement in their lives, especially when you are going through a major setback. This is the perfect time to rely on someone that you TRUST. This person should be someone that you know will never stir you in the wrong direction and they want the best for you. You must remember that there are a lot of people in this world who are great actors and pretend to have you best interest at heart but they are really praying for your downfalls and setbacks. You want people who are there for you during your great days and bad days. Try not to create heavy expectations on yourself either because once a setback happens… that will crush you if you didn’t meet that expectation. Give yourself that courtesy and grace because you deserve it.
You will learn so much along the way as you navigate through life. This is something that I am learning myself because I am experiencing another setback in my life as we speak. While being a senior in college in 2020, the pandemic was a huge setback for me because that is not what I planned to happen. While dealing with that I was also going through an unexpected death and extended family trauma. My plans and expectations were completely gone and just lost. I didn’t know what to do and I felt stuck because the world literally shut down and I was learning the change in the world due to COVID. So while I am writing this to my readers, just know that this is a place of understanding because I am currently in my setback. I’m trying to learn how to get out of it. Is it easy for me? Uhhh no it definitely is not but I know that this is not forever. You kinda feel stuck and scared at the same time. You feel stuck because you don’t know exactly where to start or go but at the same time you are scared because you don’t know if you are doing the right thing or if things are going to work out for you.
Managing setbacks and expectations for your life can be hard. Even though it can be hard, don’t be so hard on yourself personally. You have to take your setbacks as a learning experience and find ways to help you overcome those setbacks. I am learning that my setbacks do not define me and where I am going in my life and you should know that as well. Thinking and seeing setbacks as being a positive is not super easy and realistic as some may want to believe. To get to that positive mindset and outlook takes so many tries you can’t believe it but you can work to get there. When it comes to navigating through our expectations and the reality of our hardships and setbacks can be tough to go through. These things definitely mold you for who you are supposed to be and you can help other people get through similar things that you might’ve been through. Believe in your journey of life!! You are not alone!
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