EDITOR’S NOTE: Motivating employees to work safely is part of the safety professional’s job. But who motivates the motivator? In this monthly column, veteran safety pro and professional speaker Richard Hawk offers his entertaining brand of wisdom to inspire safety pros to perform at their best.

Starting over is tough. I recently found that out the hard way. Although it’s a bit embarrassing to share, considering I’ve been a safety and health professional for more than 40 years, I overextended my arm while putting up a flytrap and seriously injured my shoulder blade.

Even though I’ve spoken on this subject hundreds of times, it still surprised me how much the injury affected my life. I couldn’t stand up straight for months. Nor could I sit and work on the computer, exercise, or play the guitar. Many other daily activities were too painful to attempt.

Fortunately, it wasn’t a permanent injury, and last month I was able to get back to my routine. But initially I was discouraged – especially when I started practicing music and exercising again.

No doubt you’ve had setbacks, too. They can test our mettle and often cause us to give up on something positive we were doing before the reversal. Here’s what I’ve done and thought about to help me get back on track, which may help you better handle your own “start-overs.”

Have a spirit of gratitude

Instead of thinking, “If I hadn’t stopped doing this, I’d be so much better off by now,” be grateful that you’re able – and have the grit – to start again. Be proud of yourself, and look forward to your progress and getting back up to speed.

Mindfulness helped keep me from getting dispirited. I focused on the practice session at hand or the exercise I was doing. In my case, I’m thrilled my shoulder blade doesn’t hurt anymore. Think back to something that negatively affected your lifestyle. If its impact has faded or is gone, that’s something to be thankful for! When troubles arose, my grandmother often said, “From the day you’re born until you ride in the hearse, it could’ve been worse.”

Realize it happens to nearly everyone

It’s a rare person who hasn’t had to start over because of a misfortune or complications beyond their control. The well-known, centuries-old encouragement “fall down seven times, get up eight times” is a reminder of the importance of not giving up.

It also applies to setbacks at work. If your safety record “falls down,” put your energy and skills into starting a fresh campaign to rectify it. More than once, I’ve seen organizations rebound from a tragedy to create a superb safety and health culture. We all learn from our setbacks.

Your past progress makes a difference

It won’t take long to get back to where you were. Muscle and mental memory will kick in, and you’ll progress much faster than someone who never acquired the skills you have or tackled the project you’re working on.

Exercising is an excellent example of literal muscle memory. If you once could lift an impressive amount of weight or run a marathon before getting out of the routine, you still have an advantage because of your past physical prowess. Mental memory comes into play, too, because you probably still know how to jog or lift weights correctly, and what you don’t remember will come back to you quickly when you research it.

Friends and loved ones make a difference

The sympathy and help I got while recovering from my injury were heartwarming and made me realize how important it is to console and aid each other. For the first time in 10 years, I missed sending an article to Safety+Health Editor Melissa Ruminski for this column. I was pretty upset about it, but Melissa’s empathy and reassurance made me feel better.

My starting over phase has mostly ended. It didn’t take long. If you “start over,” keep that in mind – it won’t take long before you get your calluses again, and the setback’s distress will be a distant memory!

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