Life is full of disappointments, failures and setbacks but none of those things should be used as excuses to not go after what you truly desire in life. You have the power in you to overcome anything life throws at you. There is nothing as powerful as a made up mind. Strength shows not only in the ability to be persistent but in the ability to start over. Instead of thinking that things are so bad and they can’t be fixed, set a new goal, dig down deep and begin again. Don’t be afraid to start over. Starting over is a new chance to rebuild but this time it will be better and more like what you want. Just because the past didn’t turn out like you wanted it to, doesn’t mean that you can’t have what you desire most in this world. Forget what is no longer available to you be it a person, place or thing. Appreciate what remains and look forward to what’s coming next.

Very few people find success after only one try. Persistent people are determined to try and to try again. Some have lost everything and have been broken to the point that they could easily have given up because they had no more to give. They laid everything on the line to reach their dream but became exhausted physically, mentally, emotionally and financially when their dream slipped away. But this is when you must realize that you have more potential than you think you do. Until you are broken, you don’t know what you’re made of. But once broken, you become stronger and stronger as you build upon what has been inside of you all along. Never be afraid to be broken because this is when you find out who you really are. Falling down is an accident but staying down is a choice.   If your situation seems too big for you, it’s because you are about to find out who you really are.

When something doesn’t go your way in life, it’s important to look at it as an opportunity to prove that you can adapt and overcome. If you don’t ever try to make a comeback, you’ll never get better at anything.   Grow through what you went through. Be thankful for your struggles for without it you would have not discovered your strengths. Life is not about being perfect. Life is about the effort you put into it. That’s how changes happen. Be wise enough to know when to let go of something and be strong enough to wait on what you deserve. Sometimes the smallest step in the right direction ends up being the biggest step of our life. As we work through and overcome our own fears, it sends a signal to others that they can do the same. You have been assigned that mountain in front of you to show others that it can be moved. When we rise above our challenges, we silently encourage other people to do the same. Life isn’t about waiting for the storm to pass. It’s about learning to dance in the rain. The caliber of a person is not how well they prepare for everything to go right but how they stand up and move on after everything has gone wrong.

Your journey is not yet over. Setbacks are designed to take us into a different direction – one that you would have never attempted before. You might have to fight a battle more than once in order to win. Don’t look back – you are not going in that direction. Hardships prepare ordinary people for extraordinary things.  Difficult roads often lead to beautiful destinations. Be crazy enough to think that you can do anything in this life. While some storms uproot some trees, that same storm forces the roots of other trees to grow deeper into the earth. What about you? Will you dig deeper and start again or will you let adversity break you? You are not what happened to you. You are whatever you choose to become. Most importantly, be to someone else the person you needed when your back was against the wall and everyone who you thought you could depend on were nowhere to be found.

The 3 C’s in life are Choice, Chance and Change. You must make the choice to take the chance if you want something in your life to change. No matter how you feel, get up, dress up, show up and never give up. The late Steve Jobs said “surround yourself with dreamers, doers and believers but most of all surround yourself with those who see greatness in you even when you don’t see it yourself.” No situation defines who you are. You haven’t made it this far only to remain this far.   There is so much more ahead for you to experience. Your past is who you were. The future is who you can be. Just when the caterpillar thought her life was over she became a butterfly. Besides, everybody loves a good comeback because the comeback is always stronger than the setback.