Grab a cup of tea, take a break, and let’s talk. Breathe deeply between the sips. Relax. Most of us have had our share of a momentary lapse of judgment where we made decisions that led to personal or professional setbacks. Failures, disappointments, and heartaches are a part of life. Whether career derailment, overcoming church hurt, or severing ties to a significant relationship, these moments can stop us from moving forward and living our best remarkable life.

God uses these circumstances to remind us of His power and the strength He provides. God created us for a remarkably abundant life! One that is lived fully whole and significant. Every woman desires it, but few are willing to take charge and make it happen. The accumulation of fears and a lack of responsibility can derail any forward movement. But you can take charge of your life and transform it into something exciting and fulfilling. Regardless of what happened, it’s never too late to start fully living!

Here are 5 of the most potent ways that you can energetically spring clean your life in specific areas. Take another sip of your tea and start taking control now: 

1 – Take Responsibility.

This doesn’t mean that everything is your fault, but it is your responsibility to deal with the pain in your life with the help of a loving God. It’s your responsibility to face it, grieve it, invite God to heal you from it, and choose to move on. According to 2 Corinthians 4:8-9, trials may crush you but refuse to allow them to destroy you. Take responsibility by making something remarkably good come out of them.

2 – Raise Your Standards.

My mother has a saying, “Come out of that ‘low the bar!’” God has a standard for us found in His Word, the Bible. If your current situation is less than God’s best for you, then your bar is too low! God wants us to live a life where we are constantly improving and excelling in making our life better for the sake of His glory. Refuse to become comfortable, relax, and settle for less than His best. Let’s always look for ways to excel still more as admonished in 1 Thessalonians 4:1-2. Find the areas where you need to raise your standard of living so that your life is remarkably pleasing to God.

3 – Avoid Being Afraid of Failure.

This is the primary obstacle for many of us women. We are afraid of failing. Consider this: you fail all the time and don’t think anything of it. You’re five minutes late for work. You cook your macaroni and cheese 10 minutes too long. You spill your tea, misspell a word in your email heading, or you forget to return a message. Too often, these failures pale in comparison to the bigger ones such as being rejected for a promotion, experiencing a failed marriage, or a missed “chance of a lifetime” business opportunity.

Start your day looking at yourself in the mirror and admit you will fail yourself or someone today! Then, get over it and keep it moving. Move on with God’s power refusing to allow the memories of the failures to weigh you down or hinder you, as Hebrews 12:1 reminds us, from building your best remarkable life.

4 – Stop Caring What Others Think.

It seems silly to worry about the opinion of someone and the view that others have about you as a result of your setback. Let’s face it, so much of our self-worth can be formed by the opinions of others. This is not only true of those you barely know but especially of those with whom you are well connected. Realize, no matter what you do, you will be judged by others. In this age of extreme social media engagement, people feel that they know you, and perception becomes reality. But ultimately, we must live our lives before an audience of ONE. Let’s see ourselves through God’s eyes and seek His approval, like Galatians 1:10 invites us to do.

 5 – Set Clear Goals.

Goals are so important in moving on successfully from your setback. You have to make decisions to set goals that take into account where you got off track and ultimately where you are headed and how to know that you have arrived.

How’s that tea? Are you ready to get back up and take charge of your life? Are you tired of becoming a victim? Are you ready to live a fully vibrant life of victory? Share how you will choose to allow your setback to set you up to make your best remarkable comeback-one worthy of the remark!