Just Wasn’t Meant To Be

“Every event has two handles – one by which it can be carried, and one by which it can’t. If your brother does you wrong, don’t grab it by his wronging, because this is the handle incapable of lifting it. Instead, use the other – that he is your brother, that you were raised together, and then you will have hold of the handle that carries.” -Epictetus

When you face a setback on the road towards achieving your goal or manifesting your passion project, you can think “it just wasn’t meant to be.” You can give up. Quit. Do something else. (By the way, sometimes quitting is the right choice. See Seth Godin’s book The Dip and Annie Duke’s book Quit: The Power Of Knowing When To Walk Away for more on this.)

But more often than not, setbacks are just…setbacks. Nothing more. Nothing less. They’re information. Stuff that happens on the road towards doing anything. Don’t ascribe any more meaning on it it then you have to.

If you drive to the grocery store because you need groceries and then get a flat tire on the way, you don’t suddenly think, “I guess it wasn’t meant to be. I shouldn’t have needed groceries. I shouldn’t have gotten in my car and driven to the store.”

No.

Shit happens. Deal with it. Move on. And keep on, keepin’ on.