By Seema Naz
When my Amazon business collapsed, I felt as though something precious had been taken away from me.
I had invested time, effort, and hope in it. Losing it was deeply disappointing. At the time, I couldn’t imagine that this setback might eventually lead me somewhere quite different.
There was already a great deal of change in my life. About four years ago, my children and I had moved back to our home country. We were arranging a home, exploring schools and adjusting to unfamiliar routines. Alongside the practical work, we were feeling nostalgic, uncertain and trying to feel at home.
The business setback came while we were still adjusting.
For a while, I needed time to gather myself. Then I tried to launch another venture on a different ecommerce platform.
That attempt didn’t work out either.
When trying again doesn’t bring the result you hoped for
I wish I could say that my second attempt succeeded because I refused to give up. That isn’t what happened.
I learned a great deal, but the effort didn’t produce the outcome I wanted. After two disappointments, I found myself without a project and uncomfortable with the space it left.
I felt guilty when I was idle. Sometimes I felt useless.
Those feelings didn’t reflect the whole of my life. I was raising four children, managing our home and handling everyday responsibilities more independently because my husband was living abroad.
That was meaningful work. Still, I missed having something of my own to learn, develop, and feel absorbed in.
At first, another business seemed the obvious place to look. It was the direction I had already been following, and I wanted to make something work.
Eventually, though, I began paying attention to interests that had been with me much longer: writing and psychology.
Finding a direction I recognised
I had studied psychology and English literature during my bachelor’s degree. Returning to those interests felt familiar, even though what I would do with them was new.
They became the beginning of Better You Within, my personal-growth website.
Writing gave me a way to explore habits, emotions, self-awareness and everyday behaviour. Building the website gave me something else to learn.
I wasn’t immediately comfortable with it. There were unfamiliar settings, layouts that didn’t work, and problems that took far longer to solve than I expected. But I was interested enough to keep returning.
Gradually, I had something I could look at and recognise myself in. I had found a direction I wanted to pursue.
What still mattered to me
Looking back, I can see that I wanted several things from those business ventures. I wanted to keep learning, create something of my own and experience the satisfaction of making progress.
Ecommerce had been one way of doing that, but it wasn’t the only possibility.
This changed how I understood perseverance. Continuing didn’t have to mean launching another version of the same venture. Instead, I could bring what I had learned, and my willingness to keep learning, into a different project.
If you are facing a setback, that distinction may be worth exploring. What mattered to you about the goal? Was it the particular business or role, or did it also represent creativity, independence, contribution or learning?
The answer won’t take away the disappointment, but it may help you find another way to pursue what matters most to you.
Giving disappointment its time
I didn’t move straight from failure to a new purpose.
There was sadness, frustration, and a period of not knowing what came next. I needed time before I could consider another possibility.
I wouldn’t want someone reading my story to feel that perseverance requires an immediate comeback. Sometimes there is enough to manage already.
A pause can give you room to think about whether you want to try again, change your approach or pursue something different. You don’t have to decide while the disappointment is at its sharpest.
I’m glad I eventually tried something else. I’m also glad I didn’t need a complete plan for my future before beginning.
A quieter kind of perseverance
These days, I write whenever there is an opening, mostly at night. Better You Within feels like enjoyable time for myself. I like seeing an article take shape and figuring out something I couldn’t do before.
There is still plenty I don’t know. I don’t have a finished success story to offer.
What I have is a project I care about and the pleasure of continuing to learn.
For me, perseverance has included trying again. It has also meant letting my next attempt look different.
I couldn’t make those earlier ventures succeed. But I could stay curious about what I might still create and give myself a new beginning.
About the author
Seema Naz studied psychology and English literature during her bachelor’s degree. She is the founder and editorial lead of Better You Within, where she explores self-awareness, habits, and emotional wellbeing through practical, psychology-informed writing. A mother of four, she enjoys writing and learning alongside family life.
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