Part Of Creating A Great Life

“Give yourself a break. Stop beating yourself up!

Everyone makes mistakes, has setbacks and failures.

You don’t come with a book on how to get it right all the time.

You will fail sometimes, not because you planned to,

but simply because you’re human.

Failure is a part of creating a great life.

Stand up to it and handle it with grace. Because, you can.”

– Les Brown

“You won’t be going to the gym for a while.”

This was what the surgeon said to me after the operation on my ruptured Achilles tendon earlier this year.

“But you will get back to it. You just need to get the foundations right. You literally have to walk again before you can run!”

As I looked at the cast on my right leg and popped another pain-killer, I felt he was cracking a joke at my expense! And as someone who likes to regularly exercise (gym, walk, swim, hike) this was challenging to hear – but it was reality.

And the surgeon and the physios were very clear on not rushing the process. The right foundations take time to get in place.

And it has been one of the many lessons I’ve taken from a physically challenging year:

Take your time getting the right foundations in place, before you build or try to go faster.

And there’s nothing like unanticipated setbacks to force you to look again at the foundations – because often they’re not fit for purpose any more.

Whether it’s your business, relationships or general life, what worked yesterday doesn’t mean it will work tomorrow.

And what I realised through the process of recovery was I needed to change some of my approach to exercise, rest and nutrition – and also the mental side of things.

And even though I know the value of pain, it’s so easy to miss the gift of the setback or trauma – which is an opportunity to re-assess and make things better.

As we come into the Christmas period, it’s a natural time to reflect before we turn the corner into a new year.

Perhaps at some point you might look to the setbacks and the difficult moments you had over your year – don’t be like most, and be too busy to look in that direction!

Be assured that within your setbacks most likely are hidden gems.

Gems that can make your foundations stronger and that ultimately can create a greater probability of growth – in any aspect of life.

If you do go there – here are some questions to consider:

• What changed or happened differently because of this situation?
• What did you learn from it?
• Regardless of the pain and the disruption, what were the benefits from this situation?
• How might I use this as a real opportunity?

Wishing you the very best this Christmas.

Regards,

Shane