“…Failed! “
How to get up and get running again…
It can be obvious. It can be in your face. It can be insidious — whispering to your mind periodically at the most inopportune times. No matter the approach, the unwanted visitor is at a door in your life.
Bad investment. Fad Diet. Wrong job opportunity. Missed opportunity. Horrible relationship. Poor decision-making. No matter the suit he’s wearing…Failure is still the worst date on the planet and he’s here to hang out.
Knock-knock…
So what do you do now?
Open the Door
When you open the door and acknowledge you have flopped at something, you embrace a major opportunity to learn. It seems like common sense to want to understand what went wrong but often we look away from personal failure because we believe it is a defining moment, a perpetual state of being or an inescapable destination. Don’t turn away now! Look, there inside the loss is the key to your future win. By embracing it, you use all your senses to discover what led to this encounter. You’re able to decode what you believed you saw, heard and understood. All this information becomes tangible and transferable for new ventures enabling you to make better choices, avoid areas of weakness and harness your talents. So go ahead…open the door I know you can do this!
Talk it Out
Let’s face it, Failure has a big ole’ mouth and has a way of making you look small to just about everybody. People will talk – it’s human. But don’t worry about what all the folks are saying because he just left their houses a few hours ago. Get control of the conversation and be transparent about what went wrong. Sharing your missteps builds relationships and your openness allows others to embrace their own fiascos. Open your mouth wide and communicate your experiences and insights with those in your network of family, friends and neighbors. Soon Failure will feel the need to leave because the conversation has moved on to something more resilient than him…Hope.
Driving Directions
Be a good a host. Tell Failure exactly where he can go. Now open the door, usher him out and let some light inside your house. Failure will be hitting the road – you should do the same. Get your bag and pack it. Fill it with innovative ideas and pictures of successes…no matter how small. Invite a few friends inspired by your story and map out your destination. Your visit with Failure enables you to avoid detours on the road. Ditch heavy traffic and ignore all the noise so your own voice can lead. Failure will be back after you’ve hit the highway. Sad though…you won’t be able to thank him for the growth…
…because you’re moving to a better location.
This was very informative,
I’m glad Tonia!