We are pressed on every side by troubles, but we are not crushed. We are perplexed, but not driven to despair… We get knocked down, but we are not destroyed. 

I’m sure as a child all of us loved to go on the swing. The thrill of flying through the air and that rising feeling of butterflies in our tummy is one of that great joys of childhood.

And we all know the secret to the swing depends on how far we can pull ourselves back. I remember trying to go as far back as I could, as far as tip toes and stretched legs would allow! Then as far back as I was, the final factor came in how hard I threw myself forward! It may have started small, but each swing brought greater momentum and with that came greater heights!

The story of the swing holds true for our lives as well! Life will throw you set backs but it is within the power of our perspective to see it as set ups for a greater future! Here are some thoughts:

1. Failure is not final
2. Perspective changes set backs to possible set ups
3. It’s ok to start slow and small after a fall but keep going
4. Have courage to try again

Many people who are now remembered and celebrated as successes didn’t always start that way. 

Thomas Edison was famously quoted for saying:

I haven’t failed. I’ve only found 10,000 other ways that didn’t work.

Dale Carnegie, a well known author said:

Most of the important things in the world have been accomplished by people who have kept on trying when there seemed to be no hope at all.

And perhaps one of the most inspiring examples of what Dale Carnegie said is Sir Winston Churchill, who led Great Britian through World War II. He said:

We shall defend our island, whatever the cost may be, we shall fight on the beaches, we shall fight on the landing grounds, we shall fight in the fields and in the streets, we shall fight in the hills; we shall never surrender.

Even with the odds stacked against him, Churchill chose to see a set up rather dwell in the set backs. History is forever different because of this. Your future can be different too because you choose today to see how Churchill saw.

Be inspired!