Let’s be real—setbacks and unmet expectations are part of the package when you’re blazing a trail. But, man, they can feel like a punch in the gut.  

You put everything on the line, pour your heart into your mission, and then… things don’t go as planned.  Suddenly, that little voice in your head starts whispering, “Maybe you’re not cut out for this.”  

It’s frustrating, deflating, and downright exhausting. 

But here’s the thing: setbacks don’t define you—they refine you.

Today, we’re diving into how you can tackle those moments head-on and turn the tables on self-doubt. We’ll unpack some down-to-earth strategies to help you keep your confidence intact, even when the universe seems to be throwing curveballs. 

Because if you’re going to change the game, you need to stay in the game. 

Let’s go! 

1) Collect evidence that supports your mission

With this ongoing strategy, I highly recommend that you keep a note on your phone, a folder in your photos or your Google drive of evidence that you are on the right track. 

This might be testimonials & feedback from your past clients or people you’ve helped in some way. 

It may be articles or research studies supporting your beliefs or highlighting the issues you are tackling. 

It may be a collection of stories from people who overcame the problem you are solving 

When you start losing motivation and drive, crack open this mountain of evidence and remind yourself why you are doing what you are doing and that it is possible to make progress towards your mission. When you confront fiction (the self-doubt stories) with facts (your evidence) the stories will quickly dissolve. 

They are like scary monsters in the dark. When you shine the light right on them, you’ll see they’re just a coat rack with a hat. 

2) Reframe your perspective with a probing question

It’s normal to experience the erosion of your self-confidence and self-belief when you’re in uncharted territory and things aren’t going according to plan, but instead of placating these sensations, ask yourself:

If I am here to create a foundation for a new way of doing things, but the result won’t take effect for another 200 years, would I still do it? 

If it will change the lives of millions of people in the future but I’ll never know about it, would I keep going? 

These questions put you back into your center, reminding you that you aren’t doing this for the validation. You are doing it because it pulls at you so much you feel like you don’t have a choice.  

3) Reach out to someone who knows you, and share your doubts. 

It’s normal for us to forget who we are and what we are capable of. 

When we are doing our sacred work, we aren’t sitting around patting ourselves on the back about it. 

We are out there doing it! 

It doesn’t feel sacred because it’s just us. It doesn’t feel special, because it’s just part of how we be.

This makes us vulnerable when doubt creeps in - we forget our genius IS genius. And things have just gone awry, so we definitely aren’t feeling like a genius. 

You need someone in your corner to remind you of who you are and what you are doing on this planet. 

You need someone to giggle at your questioning and ask you “Are you serious? You’ve got to be fucking joking, right?!” and then follows up with a loving slap in the face reminding you that you can do hard things. 

Who prods you (hopefully with a huge side helping of sarcasm & laughter) to pull your big kid pants up and get back on the horse. 

And if you don’t have someone in your corner, I’m available.  

Let’s face it, being a trailblazer isn’t for the faint of heart, but you didn’t pick this journey so you could coast through life. 

You picked it because somewhere in your soul you know the world needs your special brand of magic. 

So realize that setbacks are not a reflection of your ability, there’s no club of perfect visionaries somewhere that you don’t have a membership for, and do what you need to do to just keep going. 

On behalf of the world, I thank you. 

Now, let’s go.

 Abi xoxo