How to Deal With Financial Setbacks

Financial experts will tell you that if you want to get out of debt or save up for a big goal, you just have to set a budget and stick to it. They make it sound so simple. But that’s because they’re leaving out the part where your plans are going to get derailed. They’re forgetting to tell you that there will be medical bills or car repairs or income losses that will make it impossible for you to stick to your plan.

They’re not telling you about the setbacks you’ll encounter because it isn’t inspiring, and because we humans don’t like to talk about failing. Because we think failing is something to be ashamed of. And the human ego tricks us into thinking that our experiences are unique. That no one else has encountered the same roadblocks that we have. That no one has had to overcome the same problems. So when something goes wrong, we feel completely blindsided by it. We feel embarrassed and defeated and alone.

But setbacks are a part of every journey, and they do not have to be the end of the journey.

When your plans get messed up, be mad about it. Be sad about it. Be jealous of the people who already have what you want. But don’t allow yourself to wallow for long. Give yourself a day or two to grieve the loss. Then, get to work on a new plan. Figure out how you’re going to achieve your goal, now that the circumstances have changed. Then start again in earnest.

Keep moving forward. Keep devising a new plan every time one fails. And when you finally achieve what you set out to do, look back at all those setbacks you overcame, and know that the journey has made you strong.