How to Face Setbacks
The Last Lecture by Randy Pausch is one of my favorite books. Randy was a computer science professor at Carnegie Mellon University whose struggle with terminal cancer led him to think about the lessons and stories he wanted to leave behind for his children.
He initially shared these lessons in a lecture at the university called “Really Achieving Your Childhood Dreams,” and then he also put them into a book with the help of Jeffrey Zaslow.
If you haven’t watched the lecture or read the book, you should check them out.
One of the lessons Randy shared which stood out to me the most was a lesson about brick walls. Thinking back to a time when he applied for an internship with Walt Disney Imagineering (and was initially rejected), he said, “…that was a bit of a setback. But remember, the brick walls are there for a reason. The brick walls are not there to keep us out. The brick walls are there to give us a chance to show how badly we want something. Because the brick walls are there to stop the people who don’t want it badly enough. They’re there to stop the other people.”
Sometimes our journey to success can feel like a whole series of brick walls:
For example:
Maybe you’ve tried to lose weight in the past and had one (or more) of these experiences:
- You start to change your eating habits, but don’t see any results.
- You add exercise to your routine, and you gain a couple pounds.
- You lose several pounds, but then you plateau, and it seems impossible to make any more progress.
- Or maybe you reached your goal, but then gained all the weight back.
On an emotional level, these scenarios can all feel like running full force into a brick wall.
The fact is, brick walls happen in life.
- In diets.
- In careers.
- In relationships.
The question isn’t “Will I hit a brick wall?” It’s “What do I do when I hit a brick wall?”
Think about it: How many people hit a snag on their journey to their dream and just give up?
The honest answer is probably most.
Consider the number of people who make a new year’s resolution to accomplish some lofty goal, but they end up giving up by Valentine’s Day.
It’s simply easier not to try.
Change is difficult, especially when it involves major shifts in your routine or your way of thinking.
It’s easier to just settle for the way things are, even if you’re miserable.
Randy’s quote is a great way to keep these brick walls in perspective.
When it comes down to it, how badly do you want the life of your dreams?
Are you willing to find a way over, around, or through the brick wall? Or will you give up and turn around like so many people?
My hope is that, if you do hit a brick wall, you’ll look for a way past it.
Don’t run away from it. Instead, think of a way to overcome it.
You see, a lot of people stop themselves before they even get started. They think, “What if I try to change this area of my life and it doesn’t work?”
That’s the negative side of “what if…”
I want you to look at the positive side of “what if!”
- “What if I really can land the job of my dreams?”
- “What if I can finally get rid of this habit that’s been holding me back?”
- “What if I change my life, and then I help my friends and family change their lives too?”
So, what do you say?
Wanna climb over some walls together?
Awesome! Let’s keep going!
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