Back Against The Wall: Four Blessings of Setbacks

Are there some blessings in the low-points, when you have been pushed back and don't feel like there's any way out? Is there some strength to be taken from the ability to navigate to that 'way out'?

If you are an entrepreneurial soul, you will face setbacks.

And today... we are all entrepreneurial. It's what the world calls for.

Though in a life of luxury and abundance, there is a tendency to become complacent.

I don't know the origin of this, but I heard it recited in a recent interview.

Hard times create strong men,

Strong men create good times,

Good times create weak men,

Weak men create hard times.

-Some unknown person.

And if that is true, are we in the good times... that create weak men?

I like to think not.

These are particularly challenging times, as much as they are good.

To navigate your way through life? It takes strength, courage, and determination in an over-exposed, over-saturated world.

And there's another quote that comes to mind.

'90% of everything is crap.'

-Strugeon's Law

(I can remember this one).

And that sounds about right to me.

Does it to you?

90% of everything I've ever written is crap.

Ninety percent of my life is made up of mundane tasks. I sleep a third of it.

Ninety percent of my knowledge is absolutely useless to me.

Ninety percent of everything I've ever done is terrible.

But it's the 10% that makes the difference

And in that ten percent, is your chance to make a difference.

A difference to yourself.

A difference to your family.

A difference to the world.

Isn't it true that 90% of everything we do just leads up to 10% of the good times?

90% of our life is spent thinking about progressing and working towards 'retirement', 10% spent in our leisurely years (if we're lucky).

90% of our life is looking forward to doing something, 10% actually doing it.

And..? How can we use this?

We need to flip the script.

That 90% of our life we spend dreaming, we need to act.

The 10% we look forward to? We need to bring that into fruition right now.

There is no virtue in working for some 'retirement.'

What is virtuous is taking action at the moment.

Two steps forward, no matter what.

Create what you were sent here to create.

Do what it is you were put here to do.

Does it matter if 90% of it sucks?

No.

Because creating that 90% allows you to become great enough to create the 10% to begin with.

What does this have to do with... having my back against the wall?

The blessings?

The divine lessons?

The holy passage that will lead to me the light?

There is none of that.

But what there is? Is the chance to change your habits, to shift gears and plough forward, despite the traffic or hurdles ahead.

Complacency is a killer.

And once you snap out of your false reality of comfort and stability, you start to realise what is important.

The money you're wasting.

The time.

The energy, the effort.

Paying the price for yesterday doesn't do you much good for today.

Or tomorrow.

And not knowing what tomorrow brings?

Allows you to take charge and define what tomorrow brings.

I was told on Friday (16th August) that my contract wasn't being extended at work.

It ends on Friday 30th August.

Guess what I didn't do? Cry about it.

My manager had explained there was not enough work in the department to warrant extending my contract, and she had already asked if there were any vacancies in the Communications team, but there was nothing available.

I politely thanked my manager for the opportunity, told her it was a pleasure to work with them for the last three months, and I would be happy to work the remaining two weeks of my contract.

It's now Sunday.

And I've applied for fifteen jobs - in two days.

These are marketing and communication roles.

I updated my CV, I wrote stories, anecdotes within each cover letter that related to the target audience (the business), researched each company well.

I spent the entire weekend applying for job roles.

And here come the blessings.

It's your actions that count, not the circumstances

When you allow your circumstances to dictate how you behave, you've already lost.

Don't believe in the whole nature vs nurture.

Science has shown that both nature and nurture arguments are true to an extent.

But after a certain age, you are fully responsible for yourself. And if you don't allow yourself to grow, it's your own fault.

I know people who have come from the best of circumstances, and they've done terribly.

And similarly, people who come from the worst, who have done great things in life.

There are examples in every corner, and this is not a battle to determine who is right and wrong.

But there is always one fact that remains. Hard work and persistence are part of any great journey.

And so is making tough decisions that reflect your long-term goals and put off the momentary pleasures.

Our daily habits ultimately create our circumstance. And as we slip into complacency, we can be so caught up in our comfort that we forget to check ourselves.

Having your back against the wall?

It lets you know, it's time to act... and your actions are going to determine where you head in life.

What got you here in the first place?

Why is your back up against the wall?

What actions did you take (or not take) that landed you in this spot?

And how can you avoid this again?

I was in a tough spot earlier in the year.

I lost my business and it took me two months to get a new job. I fell behind on my bills.

I'm only just getting caught up, and my manager lets me know my job is coming to an end in two weeks.

You could cry.

You could become resentful.

You could explode in anger, leaving a fury of rage and destruction in your path.

Or you could act like a mature adult, count the lucky stars and be thankful you have two weeks notice to find another job.

What do you do?

When I lost my business, I got resentful.

I didn't cry, but only out of pride.

I blew up in anger most days.

It was only until I took responsibility for what had happened, accepted it, moved on and got myself a job that I shifted my mindset.

This time? To stop that I will:

• Accept what has happened as a blessing; to explore new opportunities
• Apply for all jobs that interest me
• Continue to study and read marketing material
• Put more effort into writing

The last one is deadly important: put more effort into writing.

As a consequence of being told my job is no longer secure, I am doubling-down on my mission to publish a million words on this blog within 12 months.

And ordering more books.

And studying more writers.

And becoming great as soon as possible.

Don't let things get you down, take action and move forward. And don't do the things that got you here in the first place, like holding resent, anger, jealousy or any form of hatred inside you.

Life is about what you can give.

A shift to the right direction

You are on the right path, but there are many lanes one that path.

And you figure that out when you get there.

It's moving from abstraction to concreteness that allows you to see that.

For example, you start off wanting to be in 'Marketing' or 'Recruitment'

You then realise 'Marketing' is a full-spectrum field, and there are plenty of specialisms.

There's digital. There's print.

You decide digital.

It is content?

SEO?

PPC?

Copywriter?

Content marketing?

Website design?

You get the point. There is the same thing in recruitment.

You start off 'recruitment' being your fantasy.

There's the type of recruiter - are you an in-house recruiter? An agency recruiter?

You want to be a recruiter in an agency.

Do you want to work temporary or permanent roles?

What niche do you want to work in? What markets?

Is it executive search, placing high-level candidates such as CEOs twice or three times a year if you are lucky?

Or do you want to work in a high-volume, 100-candidate a week sort of job role?

It matters.

They all require different skills.

And here is the real blessing.

Each set back allows you to see more and more of that.

I wanted to work in 'Marketing.'

I set up my business offering any work I could get.

I found out I wasn't good at most things, but I love to write.

I get myself a job as a Marketing Assistant.

It ends, but it shifts my focus to my writing even more.

And so it begins again... the quest for the next role, as a copywriter, or a marketing role that is predominantly content-based.

I do not believe there will be a time I don't see myself working in marketing - specifically copywriting and content marketing.

It is something I want to master.

And that's a good feeling.

It's a feeling I have never had before.

Have you got that feeling? Are you on the right path?

It took me a couple of years. From public sector work, counseling to copywriting and marketing, it's been a journey.

And each set-back has shifted my course, just a little bit.

And now the road looks clear.

Those million words are going to get me there. I can win the battle of the day... and I can walk down the road...

Hold up, I see a sharp turn... wait, what's that...

Rest in the knowledge that setbacks are coming

Setbacks are coming.

And each time you deal with one... you are more prepared to deal with the next.

I'm cool about losing my job.

My manager said to me "I think you're taking this better than me."

I lost my business after sinking myself into debt to keep everything smooth in a crisis.

I didn't pay my rent for two months.

I've gone through plenty worse than losing a job.

And I'm so focused on my writing and my craft? I know I would be an asset to any team that can provide me with the structure to work within.

It's a shame that I cannot stay with the team, everyone was just getting used to me and I felt comfortable.

But comfort is a killer, and it's a blessing in disguise that my contract is coming to an end.

I knew this set back was coming.

And I am prepared to handle it.

I have never felt as excited to be moving on from a job role. Leaving on a positive note is not something I have done in the past, and it is a sign of my maturity.

And to become a man, you must recognise you are not your job role, you are who you are.

And your skills and the thing that matters. Not some random job that you didn't know existed four months ago.

And therefore, it is time to move on. And job applications will be filled out.

I have two weeks to get a new job.

And if I don't have one after that?

The world doesn't end. If I am smart, I will pay my rent in September... and have a month to get myself into a new role.

That is more than enough time if you apply yourself.

The trouble comes when you fail to take action, feel hopeless and don't know how to face adversity.

Being able to get up from a setback is a huge advantage in life and in business.

And if you can learn that?

You can do almost anything.