The only difference between stumbling blocks and stepping stones is how we use them.

It’s easy to complain when you suffer a setback. Easy, and useless. It’s easy to find someone or something to blame. Yet that rarely improves the situation.

When things get easy, it’s easy to stop growing. The pain of growth is a good sign, not a stop sign.

When you get knocked down,the thing to do is to get back up. Quickly. Successful people experience just as many setbacks as anyone else, if not more. The difference between success and failure is not in the number of times you get knocked down. The difference is in how fast you get back up.

Blaming and complaining just add to the recovery time. So they’re worse than a waste — they’re a hindrance. When you hear yourself starting to complain, stop. Stop, and ask yourself what you can do to make it better. What action can you take? What response will make a positive difference? What will quickly get you back on your feet.

Leave the blaming and complaining to others. There are plenty of people willing to do it. Instead, get back up. Focus on moving forward. And you will.

And that’s something you can hang your hat on.