Encouragement:
Failing Forward!
-turning mistakes into stepping stones for success
J.M. Barrie said,"We are all failures-at least all the best of us are." The well-known leadership trainer, John Maxwell, writes that, in his 30-plus years of leadership experience, one of the most valuable but underestimated abilities that leaders can possess is the ability to do what he calls " failing forward". It's more than having a good attitude about your mistakes and its a step beyond simply taking risks. Failing forward is the ability to get back up after you've been knocked down, learn from your mistake, and move forward in a better direction.
You see everybody makes mistakes.But the real difference between average poeple and achieving people is their Perception of and Response to failure. Nothing els has the same kind of impact on people's ability to accomplish theri dreams.
What do you dream of accomplishing? Unfortunately,nomatter how gifted or knowledgeable you are, you will make mistakes. Failure is the price you must pay on the road to success. That's just how it works. But the good news is that the better you are at failing forward, the sooner you can accomplish your dreams.
Here are a few common misconceptions about failure. Look at and take an honest inventory to determine if your perception of failure is what it should be. It will help you to change the way you think about failure.
1. People think Failure is Avoidable, it's NOT: You've probably heard the saying, " To err is human, to forgive divine." This was common among Romans about 2000 years ago. Things today are the same as they were then: People make mistakes. Don't buy into the notion that mistakes can somehow be avoided. Accept that you will err because you're human, but don't let that keep you from pursuing your dreams.
2. People think Failure is an Even, it's Not: Failure is just like success. Its a day to day process, not some place you just arrive one day. Failure is not a one-time event, it's how you deal with life along the way. Yes, you will make mistakes, but yu can't conclude that yu're a failure until you breathe your last breath. Until then, you're still in the process, and there is still time to turn the things around for the better.
3. People think Failure is Objective, it's Not: When you forget a meeting, miss a deadline, damage a relationship, or make a poor choice concerning your children, what determines whether that action was a failure? Is it the size of the problem it creates, the amount of money your company loses, or how much criticism you have to endure? The truth is that you are the only person who canlabel what you do a failure. Failure is subjective. Your perception of and response to your mistakes determine whether they are failures. Determine to see your mistakes as merely temporary lapses, and start using them as stepping stones to success.
4. People think Failure is the enemy, its Not: Most people try to avoid failure like the plague.They're afraid of it. But it takes adversity to create success. NBA coach Rick Pitino says, "Failure is good. It's fertilizer. Everything I've learned about coaching I've learned from making mistakes." If you desire to be a big achiever, you can't see mistakes as the enemy. Begin to perceive mistakes as opportunities rather than opponents.
5. People think Failure is irreversible, it's Not: There's an old saying that goes, "It doesn't matter how much milk you spill as long as you don't lose your cow." In other words, mistakes are not irreversible. The problems come when you see only the " spille dmilk" and not the bigger picture. When you make a mistake, keep things in perspective. Understand that on the heels of every mistake is a valuable lesson and another opportunity to improve.
If you tend to focus on the extremes of mistakes and fixate on particular events in your life, resolve now to gain a new perspective on failure. See errors and negative experiences as a regular part of life and determine to learn and grow from them. Iif you can do that well, you may find that your dreams are much closer than you think.
Be encouraged!
A. Othniel
><> Letter # 06 ( 4. 5. 2008 ) <>< ><> Useful Resources at : www.ctouch.org