It’s in the setbacks that we grow the most. Our dreams become refined; the imperfections are stripped away. Mary MacNeilly learned this at a young age. She joined us on the show and told us how her dreams of being a professional dancer were taken from her when she was in a car accident as a teenager. She gave some great tips about how to rise above your circumstances:

Start again. Not back at the beginning, but regroup and begin again. Mary was told she would never dance again. She took it slowly, learned what she could do, and soon was teaching dance. If you hit a roadblock, assess where you are, and build a new path back to the dream.

What else are you good at? Setbacks are perfect opportunities for other strengths to emerge. Mary had no idea she had such a knack for business. She probably would never have found out if she wasn’t in the accident. When you are experiencing a setback, pause and reflect on what you could learn from the situation.

Tweak the dream. On your journey you may find things that no longer fit into the goal or things that are nice additions. Mary learned that merging dancing, acting, singing and business created a combination that would set her apart.

Mary channeled her dancing abilities and her new found business abilities into the younger generation, teaching them business principles in a fun way. Learn more about Mary’s Million Dollar Butterflies for great tips on living your dream!

Jana Axline is Chief Project Officer at Project Genetics and the author of Becoming You. Through her leadership musings, she inspires audiences to grow as leaders and ultimately achieve who they were created to be. For more information visit Project Genetics.