<p>One step forward, three steps back" is an idiom that means you experience a small bit of progress, but it is quickly ruined by much larger setbacks. Instead of moving closer to your goal, you end up much further behind than when you started. It is an exaggeration of the common phrase "two steps forward, one step back".Core MeaningNet Loss: The bad events outweigh the good <a class="tc-blue" href="https://ones.Frustration" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">ones.Frustration </a>: Hard work leads to losing ground instead of gaining <a class="tc-blue" href="https://success.Stagnation" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">success.Stagnation </a>: You feel stuck in a loop of trying</p>