Rebounding from Setbacks

Recently, I read an article by three-time Olympian, Ruben Gonzalez. Instantly I knew it had the power to resonate with parents, even though it was written for a business publication. At the age of 21 Mr Gonzalez took up the sport of luge or as he says, “throwing myself down an icy track”.  Four years after beginning the sport, he was competing at the Calgary Olympics. He also competed in Alberville and Salt Lake City. Yes, he suffered many, many broken bones and other setbacks in his life but he chose to persevere and be successful.

As parents we can have many setbacks. Our setbacks come in various forms. Sometimes our setbacks are due to our own choices and failures. Other times it is a health issue, or a job or financial problem that causes the setback. Our children can also be the source of those setbacks with behavioral issues, educational problems or illness being the cause. Whatever the cause of our setback, we need to persevere, move forward and past the problem and push into our new reality.

In the article by Mr. Gonzalez he listed 5 principles to follow to break through the set back and find success.

1. Go all the way-don’t quit
2. Create a “Dream Team”- surround yourself with encouraging people
3. Give yourself a Pep Talk-“I CAN do this”
4. Learn from Your Mistakes-learning is growing
5. Recover Quickly-When life knocks you down, get up and take immediate action

We need to apply these principles to all areas of our lives, and teach them to our children so that they too can quickly rebound from the inevitable setbacks that they will face in their lives.