5 Setbacks That Will Help You Later in Life

Summary: We all face setbacks in our early years that end up teaching us big lessons that help us once we enter the professional career world.

Looking back on your college days, you probably remember lots of fun moments, but also lots of times that you wanted to scream at the top of your lungs. At the time, those moments felt like the end of the world, but looking back you realize they weren’t so bad. The lessons learned turn out to be greatly beneficial.

Here are five examples of difficult times that ended up being good in the long-run:

1. Co-workers: Group projects are always filled with members that are difficult. Some never show up to team meetings or miss important deadlines. In order to preserve your grade, you learn to stay on top of things and organize others. The circumstance is similar to when we have co-workers that don’t pull their own weight at the office.
2. Illness: You didn’t have control over what happened before your finals in college, and this is similar to big presentations at work. You may get extremely sick or get a flat tire, so if you don’t plan ahead, you won’t be ready. Keep plugging away and deal with problems as they arise.
3. Failure: We may have passions that we think will be easy because of how passionate we are about them. This is not always the case. Think back to a class that you thought would be easy because it was something you were intensely interested in. That class may have turned out to be a challenge, but with extra effort, that challenge can be turned around. You learned to never give up after the first challenge, because you never know how it may turn out in the end.
4. Boss: Some professors are just like bosses in that they have unrealistic demands. You felt like they graded papers using an overly critical outline. Your only thought at the time was that they were being ridiculous, but what you have learned now is that they helped prepare you for real work situations.
5. Rejection: Your plans for college likely changed many times. Dreams of playing in college sports may be sidelined by an injury, but as long as you are open to other activities, being rejected won’t feel like a big deal. This is similar to how you may be rejected from several job interviews, but eventually you will find the right fit for you.

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