I just had a great conversation this weekend with an Unleashed listing agent who is going through a very hard time with her business.  It was a difficult talk about some serious failures and setbacks she’s had in her life and in her business.  One of my favorite quotes I told her is, “When you find yourself in a hole, stop digging.”

Success Magazine had a great article about failing, setbacks and how successful people handle them.  We all have them, sometimes, they are huge, sometimes small.  According to the article, successful people do these things:

1. They expect setbacks.

Any successful person experiences setbacks. It goes hand in hand with trying something bigger and better. Setbacks happen, so expect and accept them when they come.

2. They set time limits for disappointment.

Allow yourself time to acknowledge your feelings of disappointment. But put a time limit on how long you will focus on that feeling. You might still feel disappointment, but redirect that emotional energy toward progress.

3. They manage their blind spots.

If failure causes us to lose perspective, anticipate what will cause you to lose yours. What’s your blind spot?

4. Less emotion and more information.

Objectively size up what happened. Was there an event or decision that created a change in course?  Be a researcher and actually write down what worked and what didn’t. Write down what factors created the setback.

5. They rely on “now what?”

Successful people find a path to progress. One entrepreneur might consider a different assortment for her store, more marketing, an event to encourage new customers or more social media focus.

6. They think tomorrow more than next year.

A change in course can be overwhelming when you have too many decisions to make. Feeling overwhelmed leads to stagnation because doing nothing seems easier in the moment than making big decisions.

7. They learn what must be learned.

The research on successful people reveals a confident willingness to learn what must be learned. Rather than saying I could never start a business, successful people determine what they must learn to become an entrepreneur.

8. They manage their self-talk.

Setbacks and disappointment can create self-doubt. Manage your internal thoughts so you stay focused on the future and what you can do next. Give yourself credit for doing important work and trying something new.

After all, a setback is a setup for a comeback.

So manage your setbacks in getting listings using these techniques.

How do you manage setbacks?