Have you ever been close to getting something you want, or achieving a goal, when suddenly it felt like the universe put something in your way?
Sometimes our deep resistance manifests in the form of self-sabotage and we unwittingly pull back.
Other times, it happens from an outside force.
- The resources you were counting on didn’t materialize.
- You sustained an injury that sidelined you for a couple of months.
- The market shifted.
- People you were depending on changed their minds.
How do you respond to those setbacks?
- Do you accept defeat as a sign that “it wasn’t meant to be” and move on to something else?
- Do you defiantly double down and refuse to be denied what you have worked so hard for?
There is another option.
Those setbacks offer us the opportunity to pause and turn inward; to verify that what we are striving for is actually what we want.
The defeat of the setback is not nearly as painful as the defeat of getting what you were pursuing only to realize that you didn’t really want it — because it wasn’t aligned with your values and how you want to conduct your life.
Success in any endeavor can be a hollow victory when it’s not aligned.
Our values and visions change over time. Periodically, it’s helpful to take a step back, look at the big picture of what you’re creating or striving for, and assess whether it’s still aligned with your true desires and values.
If it is, and yet you keep hitting obstacles, then those obstacles might point to a place where you need to build strength. Maybe the response to the setbacks is neither to resignation nor defiance, but adapting: trying a different way.
If you realize that what you’re striving for is no longer aligned for you, then that’s your sign to pivot to something else. Nobody says you must complete everything you start.
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