Alternate Perceptions Magazine, July 2025
Making A Comeback
By Stan Prachniak, MBA
Many people go through periods of difficulty in their lives. Times when it seems like nothing is going right, and they don’t know how to get things back on track. The overwhelming feeling of defeat can creep in and make even the simplest of tasks feel impossible. When times like these present themselves, it is a good idea to remind yourself that you control what you do. You may not have any control over the actual situation or circumstances, but you do have control over yourself and your actions. You can make a comeback.
When we hear the word “comeback,” we generally think about sports or maybe a celebrity who has not done anything for quite some time. In the instance of a sports comeback, we witness athletes and teams pushing themselves to their limits to achieve a goal that, from the outside looking in, seems out of reach. For example, a quarterback leading his team 80-yards down the field with under one minute left in the fourth quarter and throwing a game-winning touchdown pass as time runs out. But, what did it take for that quarterback and team to create the situation where they had the opportunity to make that final play—to get things back on track and avoid defeat? They had been struggling to get the ball downfield all game long, so why would things be any different this time? The weight of the challenge could have been too much for them, but they made a decision to control what they could control—their actions.
In sports, a comeback victory begins with small wins. In the example above, the first “win” was having possession of the ball at the end of the game—without the ball, there is no chance to win. The next step was for them to challenge any belief that they had that the game was over and that they were going to lose. If they didn’t believe they could win, they had no chance. From this point on, the only way they could win was by setting and achieving a series of small goals. They needed to move the ball down the field while using as little time as possible, which meant stopping the clock by using timeouts or getting the ball out of bounds quickly. Each time they achieved one of these small goals they were a little closer to victory. And with each of these little “wins,” came more confidence that they would achieve the ultimate goal of winning the game. By choosing to focus on a series of smaller achievable goals, the increased potential success of the larger goal was introduced. Positive outcomes encourage more positive outcomes. “I can do this,” becomes , “I am doing this.”
If you are in a challenging era of your life or you just want to make a change in your life, Freedom2Change can help. You have the power to make a comeback. Start by taking small steps that will help you reach a larger goal. Visualize yourself doing the things that you believe will help you reach your goals, and then do them. Big change begins with small steps that compound over time to help you reach your ultimate goals.
Freedom To Change offers a way for you make a comeback—to become or get back to the best version of yourself. For more information on the Freedom To Change materials, visit www.freedom2change.org.
