What would you do if you knew you could not fail?
Failure, in our culture, is the ultimate curse word! To fail is to not meet up to expectations (either your own or others'). It places you lower on the rungs of the ladder to success, ostracizes you as "incapable." We think of failure as a bad thing. We think of it as the most devastating thing that we could ever endure. We think of it as an END to a dream.
…yadda, yadda, yadda…
Well, F@*$ this! I think we have the wrong mindset about “failure.” What if, instead of thinking this way, we thought of failure as an inevitable part of the process to achieving that dream? Instead of it being a matter of devastation, it was simply a wrong turn on this journey?
A few years ago I started an online business, selling vintage collectibles and antiques. I have long been a collector of unusual things that “spoke” to me. Literally, I can feel the stories of old objects and if something felt right, and I liked its story, I would keep it. One day I decided to clear the clutter from my space. Knowing that everything is energy, I felt like transferring my stuff for a different kind of energy—money.
Now, as far as the ins and outs of running an online business-- I had no clue! But I didn’t think it could be that hard. I created my website, I listed a few things at really low prices—once they flew off my shelves, I realized that just maybe the prices were a bit too low. I bumped up the prices a bit and found they were still flying off the shelves. I began to more thoroughly research what I had and found that things I had been selling could have sold for three times that amount.
Failure? Perhaps some would see it this way. In fact, every time I recount this story, someone inevitably proclaims, “FAIL!” But I prefer to view it differently. This “failure” was really the cost of my education. I have since learned that it pays to perform due diligence and thoroughly research before listing.
In retrospect, once I decided to take action, there was no such thing as failure--only experiences, consequences and results. This is the Principle of Cause and Effect at play. Every action has a reaction. Failure is just one effect.
My point is this: if you are unsure of HOW to get there, don’t sweat it! Once you decide to take action, you have to trust that the Universe conspires to give you what you need at the moment you need it! Trusting that everything happens for a reason develops an inner spirit of un-stop-ability! Trusting in this process allows you to approach everything with a solution-oriented mindset.
Most importantly, learn from it! Don’t let it eat you! Regroup, figure out a plan B and move on! Many people take this initial unmet expectation as a cue to give up and never learn from it. This is where YOU can rise above and shine!
So what if it didn’t go as you expected it to!? So what if you did not meet your deadline, or make the money you wanted? So what, so what, so what?? Ask yourself instead, “What have I learned?” “What can I do differently?” “What is the benefit here?” And most importantly, “What has this taught me about myself?” If you view failure as a learning experience, you soon see that every failure is really a new possibility!
Have a plan, take action, be flexible and learn from it! You can label it whatever you want, but in my experience, failure is just another word for possibility. By choosing to look at it this way, I have grown tremendously! I have also learned that building possibility into my plan of action for achieving my BIG DREAM-- gets me there!
Failure, in our culture, is the ultimate curse word! To fail is to not meet up to expectations (either your own or others'). It places you lower on the rungs of the ladder to success, ostracizes you as "incapable." We think of failure as a bad thing. We think of it as the most devastating thing that we could ever endure. We think of it as an END to a dream.
…yadda, yadda, yadda…
Well, F@*$ this! I think we have the wrong mindset about “failure.” What if, instead of thinking this way, we thought of failure as an inevitable part of the process to achieving that dream? Instead of it being a matter of devastation, it was simply a wrong turn on this journey?
A few years ago I started an online business, selling vintage collectibles and antiques. I have long been a collector of unusual things that “spoke” to me. Literally, I can feel the stories of old objects and if something felt right, and I liked its story, I would keep it. One day I decided to clear the clutter from my space. Knowing that everything is energy, I felt like transferring my stuff for a different kind of energy—money.
Now, as far as the ins and outs of running an online business-- I had no clue! But I didn’t think it could be that hard. I created my website, I listed a few things at really low prices—once they flew off my shelves, I realized that just maybe the prices were a bit too low. I bumped up the prices a bit and found they were still flying off the shelves. I began to more thoroughly research what I had and found that things I had been selling could have sold for three times that amount.
Failure? Perhaps some would see it this way. In fact, every time I recount this story, someone inevitably proclaims, “FAIL!” But I prefer to view it differently. This “failure” was really the cost of my education. I have since learned that it pays to perform due diligence and thoroughly research before listing.
In retrospect, once I decided to take action, there was no such thing as failure--only experiences, consequences and results. This is the Principle of Cause and Effect at play. Every action has a reaction. Failure is just one effect.
My point is this: if you are unsure of HOW to get there, don’t sweat it! Once you decide to take action, you have to trust that the Universe conspires to give you what you need at the moment you need it! Trusting that everything happens for a reason develops an inner spirit of un-stop-ability! Trusting in this process allows you to approach everything with a solution-oriented mindset.
Most importantly, learn from it! Don’t let it eat you! Regroup, figure out a plan B and move on! Many people take this initial unmet expectation as a cue to give up and never learn from it. This is where YOU can rise above and shine!
So what if it didn’t go as you expected it to!? So what if you did not meet your deadline, or make the money you wanted? So what, so what, so what?? Ask yourself instead, “What have I learned?” “What can I do differently?” “What is the benefit here?” And most importantly, “What has this taught me about myself?” If you view failure as a learning experience, you soon see that every failure is really a new possibility!
Have a plan, take action, be flexible and learn from it! You can label it whatever you want, but in my experience, failure is just another word for possibility. By choosing to look at it this way, I have grown tremendously! I have also learned that building possibility into my plan of action for achieving my BIG DREAM-- gets me there!
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