When Falling Down Becomes the Best Way Forward

A slice of humble pie can be the universe's way of asking us to shed our old skin and grow into something new and refreshed. That's exactly what happened to me recently, prompting this deep dive into how we process setbacks at different stages of life.

Remember being in your twenties when a significant setback felt like the apocalypse? That's the beautiful thing about perspective—it evolves with age. What once might have derailed me for months now lingers for just days. Not because the pain is any less sharp, but because resilience provides a different lens through which to view our challenges.

The American Heart Association's framework for redefining failure offers practical wisdom for anyone wrestling with disappointment. Don't dwell on past mistakes—your brain has already recorded the incident and is working behind the scenes to help you avoid similar situations. Focus on future goals, using perceived failures as fuel for motivation. Don't avoid confronting failure, but don't stubbornly persist with failing approaches either. The definition often attributed to Einstein rings true: doing the same thing repeatedly while expecting different results is indeed a form of madness.

Perhaps most importantly, adjust quickly by viewing setbacks as experiments rather than personal deficiencies. We're all works in progress, constantly cycling through integration and disintegration that humbles us and connects us more deeply with the world. No matter our age or achievements, growth never stops—it's the lifeblood of our existence and what keeps life interesting.

Ready to transform your relationship with setbacks? Follow Leo's Liberation on your favorite platform, leave a rating or comment, and join me Friday as we continue this journey together.

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Chapters

• 0:00 Setbacks and Growth at Any Age
• 3:32 Perspective Changes Everything
• 4:27 Don't Dwell on Past Mistakes
• 6:01 Focus on Future Goals
• 7:06 Embrace Failure, Adjust Quickly
• 11:47 Season Two Introduction and Closing