Tip #2: Get a New Definition of Failure and Succes

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One of the greatest problems people have with failure is that they are too quick to judge isolated situations in their lives and label them as failures. Instead, they need to keep a bigger picture in mind.

Perspective leads to perseverance. Perseverance brings longevity. Longevity gives opportunity to success.

1. People Think Failure Is Avoidable…It’s Not.
If you’re a human being, you’re going to make mistakes.

Rules for being human:
#1: You will learn lessons.
#2: There are no mistakes – only lessons.
#3: A lesson is repeated until it’s learned.
#4: If you don’t learn the easy lessons, they get harder.
#5: You’ll know you’ve learned a lesson when your actions change.

2. People Think Failure Is An Event…It’s Not.
Failure is a process. If you flunk a test, it doesn’t mean you failed a one-time event.The F shows that you neglected the process leading up to the test. Success is not a destination – not a place where you arrive one day. Instead, it is the journey you take. Failure works the same way.

3. People Think Failure Is Objective…It’s Not.
YOU are the only person who can really label what you do a failure. It’s subjective. Your perception of and response to your mistakes determines whether your actions are failures. 3 steps forward and 2 steps back still equals 1 step forward.

4. People Think Failure Is The Enemy…It’s Not.
It takes adversity to create success. People who see failure as the enemy are captive to those who conquer it. When we give ourselves permission to fail, we at the same time give ourselves permission to excel.

5. People Think Failure Is Irreversible…It’s Not.
The problems come when you see only the spilled milk and not the bigger picture. People who correctly see failure take it in stride.

6. People Think Failure Is A Stigma…It’s Not.
Mistakes are not permanent markers. Don’t let them get you down.

7. People Think Failure Is Final…It’s Not.
Even what may appear to be a huge failure doesn’t need to keep you from achieving. When New Coke was introduced, people didn’t want it. It cost Coca-Cola about $100 million…but it ended up being positive as the return of Coca-Cola Classic made the company stronger.

If you tend to focus on the extremes of success and failure and to fixate on particular events in your life, try to put things into perspective. Errors become mistakes when we perceive them and respond to them incorrectly. Mistakes become failures when we continually respond to them incorrectly.

People who fail forward are able to see errors or negative experiences as a regular part of life, learn from them, and then move on. They persevere in order to achieve their purpose in life. Little minds are subdued by misfortunes; but great minds rise above them.

Each of us has to make a choice. Are we going to sleep life away, avoiding failure at all costs? Or are we going to wake up and realize this: Failure is simply a price we pay to achieve success. If we learn to embrace that new definition of failure, then we are free to start moving ahead – and failing forward.

Thomas Edison believed, “Many of life’s failures are people who did not realize how close they were to success when they gave up.” If you can change the way you see failure, you gain the strength to keep running the race.

YOUR SECOND STEP:
As you approach your next big project or assignment, give yourself a reasonable mistake quotient and try to hit it before bringing the task to completion. Remember, mistakes don’t define failure. They are merely the price of achievement on the success journey.

Reply below to share your experiences. How did you feel when you tried this? What do you think about this method? Let us know! =)

Today’s Success Tip…
The difference between greatness and mediocrity is often how an individual views a mistake. – Nelson Boswell

With You On Your Journey…

This is the 2nd Mindset Tip in the series of a chapter by chapter summary of the book, “Failing Forward: Turning Mistakes into Stepping Stones for Success” by John C. Maxwell.