Most of my posts recently have been about my personal reflections. I normally don’t discuss much of my thoughts or pen it down, but this is probably the start of a self-evolution journey that I have no clear idea of the destination in mind yet.

Starting anew after a setback in life is not easy. Setbacks can come in many forms, such as job loss, illness, losing loved ones, company closure, etc. In the worst-case scenario, they could happen all at the same time.

I started researching how others who faced various setbacks managed to rebuild their lives.

One article I came across listed the following: letting go and forgiving the past, taking stock of where you are financially, making a plan to rebuild your life and finances, dreaming big and visualising where you want to be, taking things one step and a time, being gentle with yourself, practicing gratitude and mindfulness, surrounding yourself with people who love you, and finally focusing on getting a little better every day.

These are great tips, and definitely things I need to do more of.

My setback this time is career-related. I didn’t quite expect to be in the same situation so quickly after I started a new role, so it is not the first time I am being forced by circumstances to start from scratch. It sucks because I was so hopeful that this time round perhaps I could make things work. Alas, it was not meant to be.

Somehow I don’t think I have figured out the best solution for myself, hence the cycle keeps repeating. I wouldn’t say that my situation is the worst, as I still have many other things that I can be grateful for.

Practicing gratitude is something I have been doing, and it does remind me to focus on things I have rather than what I lost (or will be losing).

What I am grateful for are: my family, my health (hopefully that doesn’t deteriorate), my pets, and of course my partner (whom I talk to every day) and the friends who care and have given me good advice.

Taking stock of where we are at takes time, and also requires mental space to work through.

That is something I can look forward to spending more time on after I settle my work-related challenges over the next 2 months. Pausing when you really want to get ahead is not easy, but perhaps that is life’s message to me at this moment and I should heed the silent signals.