By Harald Anderson
I would like to say life is always easy for me, but that is not the case. The past couple of years have been a roller coaster. Some times were great, others were painful. There were many obstacles put in my path that I had to overcome. As I assessed all the things that have been happening in my life I came to the realization that maybe all of those great dreams I have been following are not going to put me where I want to be in the world.
That is a painful realization to come to and quite frustrating. My business was almost where I wanted it, right there at the finish line in the race, but I was not able to make it completely over the finish line. I had to realize that my dream was right there, but I could not reach it.
While we can have the best visions and dreams in our heads and even see the entire road to that dream, life sometimes throws obstacles in the way that we can't get around. At first I thought of just moping around, wallowing in my own self-pity because I could not have my way. Then, I realized something. It was not all a loss. Life is meant to have tumbles and moments that we don't plan for, don't want and can't get around, but it comes down to a simple question.
No matter what life throws at you that you end up unhappy about, unable to get around or just frustrated with, ask yourself, ‘What should I learn from this?" It's a seemingly simple question but it can have major results of taking in a lot of new information that will affect how you run other things in your life in days, weeks, months and years to come. Instead of pouting and getting nothing out of your life losses, why not gain something, some knowledge, and then use what you have learned and see that pouting energy to turn it into something new and something positive that may help you move forward once again.
When I asked myself this question, the answers started coming. I found that I needed more education, so I started becoming more skilled and learning more, honing my skills so I could accomplish more. Instead of being miserable thinking about the past, I better armed myself for the future.
When you encounter one of these situations, here is what you need to do. Get a notebook and a pen. Instead of moping, start thinking. "What can I learn from this?" You may have to ask yourself this question time and time again, "What can I learn from this?" Then you need to write down anything that comes into your mind. These thoughts are going to help to guide you to your next step.
Life is full of setbacks. The key is not letting them stop you. If you learn from them, you can quit thinking of them as failures and instead think of them as growth experiences.
There is not failure….only feedback.
Harald Anderson is the co-founder of artinspires.com a leading online gallery of Motivational Posters. “When Art Inspires, Dreams Become Realities." Military Art
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