Often times people think of failure as a “dirty” word. No one wants to fail, right? We all want to be winners. We want to succeed in what we set out to accomplish and we want others to see the value in our efforts that landed us at point B from point A, right? A drive for success is human nature. Where people often get hung up and stuck is at the speed bumps.
Real success can’t come without a true understanding of where there is an opportunity to pivot, totally shift gears, lean into the unknown and frankly even fall on your face a time or two.
Being OK with a lack of perfection is a scary consideration for many. I would definitely fall into the “perfectionist” category and letting go for me is hard. I mean it’s REALLY hard sometimes. But what’s the cost of that mindset? The real release comes when you can be OK with not having all the answers, when you can shift your thinking to “giving it a shot” instead of thinking “there’s only one shot.” Think of all the leaders who failed miserably before achieving their greatest success. Those very people creating some of the top businesses of our time. They gave themselves permission to try, fail, try again and learn something new.
Give yourself permission to fail. I know that’s a scary thought… but it’s also a gift. Give yourself the freedom to be OK in thinking outside the box, to try something new (I LOVE new ideas and new strategy!) to learn what works and what doesn’t work and to celebrate the times, “gosh I thought that would work, but I’m going to give it another shot with a new twist.”
Life and business is a prototype. Nothing is perfect. Everything is constantly evolving. What worked yesterday, may not work tomorrow and your gift is to use the power of your mind, your creative spirit and your drive for success to find the right path for now. Give yourself permission to be human – as much as I know your preference is to be a superhuman. Vulnerability, a subject for next time, is so powerful. When others see that you are human… well, they learn that it’s OK to be human too.
As a parent of three children (one of whom hit double digits this year), I find myself sharing this wisdom with them frequently when something doesn’t go their way, they try something and don’t succeed, they believe they’ve been treated unfairly, and even when things go just right…
Only you are in control of what happens next. What will you choose to do?
Failure is a dirty word only if you choose for it to be. To me, those who try hard, think big, dream with passion, aren’t afraid of change, show up with their best attitude, lift others along the way, stay committed and can take a curve ball and turn it into a home run… those are my heroes and that’s how I choose to live my life.
You are in control of what happens next. What will you do? As Dr. Brene’ Brown puts it best, “there is no innovation and creativity without failure.” My hope is you experience just enough failure to achieve your best life. Go out and #shinebright today!
