Have you ever wondered why you give up so easily when pursuing an endeavor that has been benefitting the people around you? Have you ever wondered why it seems you can’t get past the initial start up phase? Have you ever wondered why you have a long list of unfinished projects? You could stop wondering and sit a while.
In life, there are four R’s that we should take note off and apply from time to time to help our endeavors. They are;
NOTE: For the purpose of this article, I’ll use simple precise definitions that suit the point.
RETREAT
This is the act of pulling back or away from am endeavor or activity.
There comes that time, when we feel super overwhelmed. It feels like what we’re engaged in, is threatening to swallow us up. Just like in a battlefield, when your enemies are gaining on you, you simply retreat. You pull away from everything. This is not abandonment. Remember the saying, “he who fights and runs away, lives to fight another day.” That is simply what you in play here. Withdraw. Go back and lick your wounds. Reflect on everything. Find out what went wrong. The first step to solve a problem is by finding out what it is. While you’re still pursuing things, your head is in the clouds. You need to step back and look at things. You need to do a head count on your resources and find out how much you’ve used and how you’ve achieved.
REGROUP
This means to reorganize anew, especially after a setback.
While you’re recuperating, you apply this next step. You’ve taken stock of what you have left, how the opposition presented itself and how much resources you’ve already put in. Now, with what you have left, instead of giving up, you put a plan together on how best to use them to get positive results. At this stage, do not let doubts and insecurities set in. Nothing kills progress more than those two. You might have lost a lot but then, “where there seems to be no way, there is always a way” ~ Igbo proverb.
RETURN
This is to come back to a situation after a period of being off.
Did you retreat? Did you regroup? Did you take stock? Now you come back. Your opposition must think you’ve been extinguished. Your opposition must be having a victory party. At this stage, you return to start afresh. You’ve gained perspective. You rested enough. You’ve suffered defeat and shame. But then, you’ve learned. You’ve pulled yourself out of the water. You’re back with new ideas and strength. You come to take the bull by the horns.
REVENGE
This is an action taken in return for an offense. This does not necessarily mean that you go out to kill and wreak havoc. Here, you get back into the fray. You fight back. You put all that reshuffled plan into play. You show that you’ve learned from your mistake. You show strength, resilience, and determination. You hold nothing back!
Remember, when faced with overwhelming forces, RETREAT, REGROUP, RETURN, REVENGE!
