Turning Setbacks into Stepping Stones

How to keep moving forward in your vision, even when life happens.

Part of the Beginnings series

A beginning of anything worthwhile will always come with setbacks. Especially when it comes to a vision that helps others.

Life happens. Plans shift. Things don’t always move as quickly-or as smoothly-as we hoped.

That doesn’t mean your vision has failed. Or that you have failed. It simply means setbacks are part of the journey.

And when they come, we have two choices:

• Lose faith and give up, or

• Respond and keep moving forward.

You can’t avoid setbacks. But you can plan how you will respond to them.

Why You Need a Setback Plan

Having a setback plan is not about having the perfect response. Having a plan of response will ground you in the storm, remind you of what’s in you, and give you courage to persevere.

It’s so important that it’s one of the first things I walk through with clients-before we finetune vision, craft messaging, or build systems. Because without it, beginnings derail fast.

In the last almost three years of building Just Clear and Simple, I’ve faced my share of setbacks:

• Illness that forced me to pause for six months

• The grief of losing loved ones

• Fear and doubt whispering “you can’t do this”

But every time, having a setback plan - knowing how I would respond - helped me keep moving forward.

You may think, I’ll just know what to do when it happens. But I’ve learned the hard way that in the moment, frustration and overwhelm usually show up first. If you haven’t decided ahead of time how you’ll respond, the setback can linger longer than it should.

Creating A Setback Plan

1. Identify potential setbacks.

Over the next 30 days, what could get in the way of your beginning?

What might stop you from moving forward?

Unexpected expenses, schedule changes, new obligations, discouragement, fear? Write them down.

(You can also look ahead over the next 60 or 90 days if you’d like.)

2. Decide your response.

For each setback, what will you do to keep moving forward? How will you choose to respond? 

Examples:

• When fear arises, I will challenge it with truth.

• If money is tight, I will do what I can with what I have.

• If my schedule shifts, I will adjust and focus on one key task each week.

• When things don’t go as planned, I will let go of perfect and find the best alternative to serve my beginning where it now.

3. Commit to follow through.

   
   

Once your plan is written, commit to it. The decision is made in advance, so when life happens, you already know what to do.

Keep Your Plan Close

Store your plan somewhere you can reach quickly - on your phone or computer (I have mine on both). Even a sticky note on your desk will do. Because setbacks can come fast.

And don’t forget your why. Keep it visible. Your why will help you stand back up when life tries to knock you down.

Your plan isn’t set in stone. Revise it as needed. Add to it. Make sure it reflects where you are, who you are, and what’s realistic in this season.

Final Thoughts

Setbacks aren’t the end. They’re detours. And every detour can still lead you forward. With a setback plan, you can continue moving forward with peace, clarity, and joy.

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Putting It into Action

Take 30 minutes this week to create your setback plan. It may be the best half hour you’ll spend on your vision.

Then as you face setbacks:

Pause. Evaluate. Implement. Resume.

And if you haven’t already, get the free Begin Strong Guide. It will help you take small, steady, doable steps so you can keep moving forward - even when setbacks arise.

Lastly, sometimes the best setback plan is having someone walk alongside you.

That’s exactly what my packages are created to do. Click here to learn more.

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Don't Forget to Share

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