Ya’ll remember a few weeks ago when I was telling you all about my handy-dandy routine & how it would help me going through a couple of really hectic months?

HA! Well…pardon me as I laugh at myself & my past, overly-optimistic self. Between crazy schedules, special events, & ending up rather sick…my little routine just flew right out the window for a few weeks & it has taken a good amount of time to recoup from that. The old me would have been embarrassed about my “talk” of my routine & probably would’ve also felt like a failure for not living it out perfectly every single day, but let’s be real…we all have setbacks like this…because, well…#lifehappens.

Instead of seeing it as a failure, I’m learning to see my setbacks as learning opportunities, and honestly, giving myself that bit of grace feels so much better than beating myself up over something that really won’t devastate me in the grand scheme of things. This setback has given me the opportunity to see that I was trying to squeeze too much into my routine which ultimately was just wearing me out & making things worse.

So, today, wherever you are in life…whether you feel you’ve failed because you haven’t gotten everything on your daily to-do list done or you feel like you’re just not where you wanted to be in life…stop your current train of thought, step back, & give yourself time to analyze, learn, re-group, & start new.

If you’re getting down on yourself & only focusing on your failures, that’s the first thing you need to change. Focusing on the setbacks & the shortfalls will only get you down on yourself. No, you may not have accomplished everything you wanted or how you wanted to…but you HAVE done some positive & beneficial things. Find the positives, find the good & productive things you’ve done, & celebrate them. Now, this doesn’t mean it’s okay to be naive & just ignore the things that need changing, but sometimes it’s good, helpful, & healthy to make yourself see your successes, no matter how big or small they are.

Next, consider WHY the setbacks occurred, what caused them? Was it your schedule? Maybe it was external things that occurred that you couldn’t help? Or…maybe it was some internal struggles you haven’t dealt with yet that you’re allowing to hold you back? Whatever it is, take this time to think about the cause(s) of your setback, identify the issue, & find a way to work through it. Maybe you’re like me & you realize you were setting unrealistic expectations for yourself…then adjust those expectations. Maybe you’re allowing internal fear to turn into procrastination & excuses. Take one tiny thing…even if it’s scary, face that fear & accomplish the task. And again, sometimes the cause(s) of the setback is something you just can’t help…if so, give yourself some grace, regroup, & start moving forward again.

No matter what, though, keep moving forward. When the setbacks come, learn, improve, but never stop growing. Never allow a setback to defeat you. That’s part of the beauty of life- when the setbacks come, when we get knocked down…you pick yourself back up & you keep going.

So, as we face another hectic month ahead…as we face potential setbacks, don’t shrink from them but move forward with energy, hope, excitement for the opportunity to continue growing. When the setbacks come, learn, re-group, but ALWAYS keep moving forward.

Happy Monday, friends.

Be blessed.