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When Things Don’t Go as Planned

Rose Motete

What do you do when your plans fall apart? When anxiety gets loud, insecurity creeps in, and you feel like you’ve failed yourself?

First, breathe. Disappointment is human. You are allowed to feel it. But do not confuse a delayed outcome with a defeated identity. A setback is feedback, not a verdict.

When your spirit feels crushed, shrink the focus. Don’t try to fix your whole life in one day. Ask yourself: What is one small step I can take right now? Momentum is rebuilt in inches, not leaps.

Anxiety often comes from wanting certainty. Growth, however, requires discomfort. The gap between where you are and where you want to be is not proof that you are incapable ,it is proof that you are stretching.

If you feel broken because you didn’t achieve what you planned, remember this: goals measure direction, not worth. Sometimes the lesson is resilience. Sometimes it is patience. Sometimes it is redirection.

You are not behind. You are in progress.

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This column was published by the author in their personal capacity.
The opinions expressed in this column are the author's own and do not reflect the view of Cafetalk.

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