Setbacks Are Followed By Come Backs

Don’t let the setbacks keep you down…

These last 10 days have been a complete turn around to what I once thought was killed momentum. Last week, was a great week all around. Everything I wanted to accomplish was done and more. I was ready to end my week on an even higher note at the capoeira workshop in Kaohsiung, Taiwan. This was going to be my first time attending a workshop (of any kind) in a foreign country, and I was pumped and looking forward to meeting and learning from the greats and meeting people from other countries. Plus, I still haven’t been to any of the cities in Southern Taiwan, so I was looking forward to visiting somewhere new.

And then Friday happened….

“Darn you food poisoning,” one of the many things I thought as my head was hovering over the toilet.

While I was riding on my productivity high, I was caught slipping.

I was feeling the complete opposite of Drake’s song. I went from 100 to 0 real quick.

I don’t remember the last time I was ever this sick. Because of this, it felt like all of my momentum was lost, and I was bummed for missing the workshop.

Looking back, I realized that I was being a bit extra for being upset about that. It was beyond my control. I didn’t know my body would react like that;I’ve eaten from this place many times. In life, everything happens for a reason. Sometimes you get slapped in the face with adversity (big or small), and it’ll completely throw you off guard because you didn’t see it coming.

Just because you get smacked around or knocked down doesn’t mean you have to give up and stay defeated. Accept that it happened. Get back up. Dust yourself off and try again (in my Aaliyah voice).

Challenges are what make life interesting. Overcoming them is what makes life meaningful.

-Joshua J. Marine