How To Convert Failure Into Opportunity

 

When it comes to personal effectiveness, we need to learn from so called failure – mishaps – screw ups to allow our best self to come forward for the task at hand.

Overcoming failure and or the fear of failure is crucial for success. For many highly successful men and women who have accomplished great things in life, failure was merely a stepping-stone to achieving greatness.

Numerous studies in places like the Harvard Business review, find that the way people feel at work profoundly influences how they perform. Keeping this in mind, it is safe to say that the way we manage so-called failure will also profoundly influence our level of achievement.

First, we want to redefine failure and shift our point of view to a more supportive perspective. We have all come to recognize failure to be the disguise of a great teacher and a necessary step to achieve greatness, make a difference, and enhance performance.

YOU CAN SHIFT YOUR PERSPECTIVE BY ASKING THE RIGHT KIND OF QUESTIONS; SUCH AS…….

> What can I learn from…..
 >> this situation?
 >> this person I am working with?
 >> this and myself?

Then Ask……
> Can I live with this?
 >> Is this situation or person in alignment with my values?
 >> What can I do to make it work for me?
 >> How can I turn this around?

Celebrate and appreciate the failure! That’s right you heard me correctly. Keep affirming that with each and every mistake, you are one step closer to realizing your goal. Express gratitude for the feedback and learn from it. 

I can remember my early days as a Silva instructor. I was full of passion to make a difference and change the world (I still am) and yet I lacked the business skills necessary to support my Vision. I cannot even remember how many mistakes – so-called failures I made. I nearly bankrupted myself. I found myself loading trucks for UPS from 4AM to 9AM and then working as a waiter in a restaurant from 11AM to 10PM just to pay the bills and subsidize my passion for Silva. It was not fun.

I eventually came to realize that I was getting closer and closer to become a full time, top producing, prospering Silva Instructor. I feel very blessed and appreciative for this accomplishment.

The lesson here is that we are in a constant state of flux, strategizing, implementing and making adjustments along the way. It is much easier to make corrections once we have some momentum. It is inevitable to make mistakes along the way. No body is 100%. It is not a problem to fail. It is, however tragic to not learn the lessons from the mistakes or so called failures.

Embrace the fact that you are not perfect and are bound to make some errors along life’s journey. It is not personal and when the s….hits the fan, it is feedback that you need to evaluate, assess the situation and make a change in your approach.

And as Lao Tzu once said,
“Failure is the foundation of success, and the means by which it is achieved.”

Remember that no one does it alone. Seek help, advise, support, training and maybe even take someone you admire who is achieving big time, to lunch. We become just like the people we spend most of our time with. So be more selective of who and where you spend your time. It is called modeling and is a very powerful tool that even neuroscience will verify.

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