Ahhh, Setbacks

Setbacks.  We all have them.  In everything we do, we have setbacks.  Road blocks.  Something that stops us from achieving our goals.

This post will explore the world of 'setbacks'.  I've been battling them since my heart attack.  Not the eating healthy. I LOVE that, and yesterday, James said to me, "We really need to get back to eating healthy.  It seems we had more energy, and were more focused when we weren't bogged down with all the high fatty foods."  A husband that WANTS to eat healthy.  Can it get any better?

Many people, when they have a setback, will just give up.  Go back to the old habits of eating unhealthy, not exercising, etc.  Some people will say, "Okay, I messed up, Time to start over."  We must remember that we are not perfect.  God did not create us to be perfect, however, we can strive to be perfect in many thing.  When we seek His will, His forgiveness, God will turn our setbacks into something worth having.

I was doing really good with the NOT smoking, until recently.  And, I've gone back to smoking again.  Not as much, but more than I would like.  I felt better when I was not smoking, and was eating healthier.  Non-smokers can tell a smoker to, "just throw them out."  Yep, easier said than done.  Trust me.  The withdraw  from nicotine is a killer.  I wished I could just "throw them out."  And, I have tried to do that.  But, it's not that easy.  I've heard it's easier to stop doing heroin than it is to stop smoking.  I truly believe that.   People that tell me to 'just throw them out' really piss me off, too.  I understand their intentions are meant to be helpful, but, if you don't know first hand, then, don't offer advice.  IF you have never smoked and quit, how do you know?  The encouragement is nice, but if you haven't ever experienced the process, you REALLY do not know.

"Setbacks will only make me stronger".  I believe this to be true.  When you have a setback, make a mistake, it is only a learning experience.  I tell my children, "you do not make mistakes. You LEARN. IF you do it again, THEN it is a mistake."  And, if you learn, then you are stronger. How many times have you set a goal, only to realize that you messed up?  When you realize this, start over.  Yes, it is harder to start over.  Yes, it is easier to just say "forget it" and continue on down the destructive road you are on.  Yes, why bother.  WHY?  Because in the end YOU WILL BE STRONGER!!!  And, when you achieve that goal, you can look back and say, "WOW!  That wasn't as hard as I thought.  Yes, I had to start over a few time, but, I MADE IT!" 

The worse part about setbacks are the people who are watching you with eagle eyes.  You know the ones.  The people who, every time you turn around, are telling you HOW you should do this, or that.  The ones that point out all your mistakes.  Telling you how you SHOULD be doing it.  Those people who call you out when you mess up.  I always think in my mind, when people do this to me, "He who is without sin, throw the first stone."  Their intentions are good.  But, examine your own life, before criticizing someone else's life.  Encouraging someone is different than putting that person down and making them feel like a failure. 

Setbacks.  We all have them.  No matter what we do, what we plan, how we go about doing it.  We all have setbacks.  It's part of life.  We are not perfect.  We make mistakes, we have learning experiences.  We know this, we regroup, and we start over.  It may take us many tries, but hopefully, we reach our goal in the end.  And, if not, we keep trying.  It's part of life.  It's what we do.  We try.  And, that is the all that matters, we try.