Overcoming Failure

Failure. It can be quite an obstacle.

Do you ever wish you'd done things differently? Or worry about failing again?

I'd like to support you in reframing what failure means to you, with 3 suggestions:

1. Feel the feeling underneath the failure.

Beneath your anger, frustration, or embarrassment about failure is often a lot of sadness. If you believe you failed, you may feel that you didn't get to meet your potential. Sadness is connected to that belief.

You can't fully receive the gifts of the present moment with that sadness underneath it all.

Allow yourself to feel sadness for a path you didn't get to take! Experience it. 

2. Let go of the label.

When something happens contrary to what we expect or desire, we often call it failure and then judge the experience as bad or wrong.

But what would happen if you released that judgment?

See what it feels like to say, "That's what happened and I'm still okay."

3. Open yourself up to possibilities.

Instead of focusing on the path you didn't get to take, envision yourself on a new path—the path of your present life.

Where will it take you? 

Be excited to see where it's going to go now!

What we call failure is just an experience. Let yourself learn from it.

SOURCE:  Carol Tuttle at www.caroltuttle.com

7 Tips to Achieve Your Goals

As we move on from the holidays and settle into 2014, it’s common practice to set goals and resolutions for the new year. However, as many of us can attest to, many of these goals, especially long term ones, will fall by the wayside as the weeks and months pass by. This week we’ll be examining 7 simple tips for sticking to your goals and accomplishing them.

#1  Live up to your own expectations. Set your own goals, not those someone else’s. By setting the bar yourself, you will be more motivated to reach your goals and push yourself beyond your initial expectations.

#2  Write your goal down. Be specific and always keep it visible as a reminder.

#3  Reward yourself to celebrate achieving small milestones. Motivate yourself with a small reward for each step you accomplish toward achieving your goal. This can be something as simple as taking yourself out to lunch, taking a break to do something you enjoy, spending time with friends and family, or buying something to help with the next stage of your goal.

#4  Eliminate distractions and avoid taking on too many activities all at once. Stay focused on the task at hand to avoid getting sidetracked. Break the task down into small incremental steps to keep your goal realistic and don’t multitask.

#5  Get all the facts. Weigh all of the facts before you come to a decision in order to make the most informed choices possible.

#6  Dream big. Set your sights high, even on the outrageous. Better to set the bar too high than too low.

   

#7  Be willing to fail. Accept the fact that you might fail, learn from your mistakes, and get back on the horse. It’s better to regret something you have tried then something you haven’t tried. 

SOURCE:  Dale Carnegie Digital Tips

Dale Carnegie Training, www.dalecarnegie.com