Look at any successful person you know. It could be a personal mentor, or a celebrity, or a professional you admire.

Chances are you’ll notice a common characteristic – the person in question always seems to bounce back after a defeat.

It’s the reason why we all love underdog stories! It’s why we root for the athletes, celebrities and even politicians who have stumbled at some point, but who seem to have come back with a newfound dedication to excel.

Achieving this mindset is not an easy task to be sure. But by following the footsteps of mentally strong individuals, and borrowing their comeback habits, you can come out swinging after an unexpected setback.

So take cues from the pros. Make sure you’re following these rules that will alleviate any obstacle in the long term.

Keep Failure in Its Proper Perspective

Sometimes things don’t go as planned, and guess what? That’s OK!

It’s easy to internalize a failure as something you did wrong and to dissect it obsessively while casting doubt on your own abilities.

But instead, think of the present and the future, and not the past. Looking forward is the best way to make whatever is behind you disappear.

Find the Good in the Fails

Every failure is an opportunity to learn something new. It may be an adage to live by, but it’s completely true, and it’s the reason why the successful people keep plugging along, despite failures in the past.

Consider the Wright Brothers who created the world’s first airplane. The brothers spent years designing and trying out models before they were able to use their mistakes as a guide to create the eventual successful flyer, which made international headlines when it finally flew in 1903.

This event is in the history books to be sure. But what’s not in the history books is that the Wrights had been testing models for roughly three years before finally creating a successful flying machine.

So use your failures as a blueprint. By identifying what went wrong, and how it can be adjusted for the next go-around, you’ll have a head’s up on knowing what works and what doesn’t.

Acknowledge Your Strengths, and Recognize Your Weaknesses

You know what your best skills are, and it’s perfectly acceptable to use and highlight them without bragging!

On the other end of the spectrum, you also know what your weaknesses are, so it’s fine to admit you have vulnerabilities.

Strengthen them when you can, and in the meantime, find projects where your weaker skills are not in the spotlight.

A setback is a perfect time to take stock of these strengths and weaknesses. You can also use this time to determine how these internal traits can lead to better results in the future.

Keep Your Self-Worth Strong

The main reason why people succeed is because they know that no matter what setbacks or failures occur, it’s not a direct reflection of how strong they are as a person.

So avoid self-pity, or self-doubt, and pat yourself on the back for carrying on after a difficult situation.

After all, bouncing back is far more challenging, and a bigger accomplishment, than just following a clear sunny path to success.

Are you struggling to bounce back strong? The WINology^TM Performance Group can help! Contact us today to learn more or visit us online!

How have you bounced back to become stronger? Let us know in the comments section below!