Years ago, someone sent me the picture above.  Even now when I come across it, it makes me laugh.  I cant tell you how many times I would make plans for the new year, to pay off debt, to build that emergency fund, or just to make ends meet.  The level of frustration I would feel when things “didn't go my way”.  The road of life is paved with peaks and valleys.

My turning point was learning to let go and stop beating myself up for setbacks.

Maybe you made a mistake.  Maybe like me, you lost some money, maybe even a large amount.  How to you handle it and move forward with confidence can mean the difference between history repeating itself or learning and growing.

So a mistake was made.  Its a setback in your plan.  Now what?

Your next move could be the difference between being a financial rock star or financial couch potato.  The truth is we all have set backs, problems, issues…. It’s how we handle them that make the difference between true success and failure.

Let’s talk.

If it’s a really big setback then a good cry wouldn’t be such a bad place to start.  Check.  Now wipe those tears from your face and put your big girl panties on… we’ve got work to do.

Acknowledge and Accept

Okay.  So here we are.  Your net worth has taken a nose dive.  Always remember your net worth is just a point in time.  You can’t change/fix what you don’t acknowledge. It might not even be as bad as you think.  If it is, well then that brings me to the next step.

Discover Options

Make a list of all the ways you can tackle this problem no matter how big or small, reasonable or crazy.  Write it all down.  You never know what is possible. This is the first step in empowering yourself.  Taking control of the situation.

Get Psyched

Mental toughness is key to early retirement.  Get those mantras out.  This is the time to flex your financial strength.  Most people don’t have two pennies to rub together. That’s because they are not ready to face reality.  Not ready to know their self-worth and pay themselves first.
Just like eating that cupcake when on a diet to lose weight, you need to shake that off and get back in the game.  We are only human and prone to making mistakes.
Now we know where we went wrong and have a plan on how to fix it. We are armed with knowledge.  More importantly we are armed with confidence and self-value that we are important enough to give this gift to ourselves.

Game Time

Alright…
Let's.  Do.  This.
From here on out, every morning, we will start the day reviewing the new and improved, updated plan.  Words like “try” are replaced with “do”.  We are no longer trying… we are doing.
Starting, is by far, the hardest part of the journey.  Once we get past that, we have momentum on our side.  We have a plan to guide us.  Every day we keep putting one step in front of the other.  It won’t be long before self-confidence and self-worth joins you… walking tall within you.

Wash. Rinse. Repeat.

Before you know it, the problem has been addressed and you find yourself further along than where you were before the problem came along.
Bask in the glory of all of your effort and strength.

The steps are easy.  The work to follow the steps can be challenging.  You are worth the effort and follow through.

What else can you tackle?  Your only limitations are the ones you put on yourself.