After making a mistake or suffering one of life's setbacks.There in one place you want to stay away from.And the place you need to steer clear of is located between regret and fear.

This is the spot where we uselessly spend our time and energy trying to rationalize our non-movement. Or we feverishly try to figure out why this is happening to us.

This is the area where we finally convince ourselves that we are justified for not getting back up and getting back in the game.

It is in the place of if I could have, would have, should of, that we start the regret process. We look back and think and say things like if I would of done this instead of that my life would be much different. I should of married that person instead of this one. I could of had some much more if I hadn't had children so young. If I would of grown up somewhere else my life might have been better. If I would of only had a better down line or up line. If I would of had more support, time and/or money my business would taken off instead of failing. I was caught in the place between regret and fear. It was painful for me to take a fall when all was going so well and I was tempted to throw up my hands and give up.

I was sitting there frustrated, disappointed and humiliated wondering if it was really worth getting back up and trying again. Self doubt and hopelessness had taken over my thinking. Failure can hurt our feelings, it can hurt our pride and sense of self worth.

If you are not careful regret will separate you from your visions and goals. We should look back and reflect on our setbacks to analyze what went wrong. We should learn from our adversities, apply those lessons learned to future endeavors and challenges. I know it's hard but when things don't work out as you planned, rather than complaining, look for the miracle in the mess.

The other setting you want to avoid is fear. Fear will paralyze you and keep you stuck in your circumstances. I was in so much pain that I was afraid to get up again. I didn't want to get back up because fear had me believing that I would only get knocked down again. My wife reminded me that God had not given me the spirit of fear. The great Zig Ziglar defines fear as false evidence appearing real.

Throughout history, the very best have been the folks who were knocked down harder and more often than those who chose to remain caught between regret and fear or on the sideline.

Our falls are nothing more than growing pains. As my great friend Willie Jolley says "a setback is a setup for a comeback." It has often been said that your success is insured when you're willing to get up at least one more time than you get knocked down.

About the Author

Johnny is an award winning speaker and author. As a proud member of the Les Brown Speaker's Network and the John Di Lemme Millionaire Lifestyle Club he is committed to working with people who struggle with addiction, destructive behavior or any other form of bondage that is holding them captive. http://www.justastepaway.com