Face it, when working toward our goals, there will be times when our fears will seem so overwhelming that we will need to stage an all out attack to fend them off.
In the old days, there was a famous wartime strategy for those who controlled the seas and ruled the world. In battle, when things got tough, soldiers would sometimes lose hope and retreat to the safety of their ship. In order to ensure that the soldiers didn’t give up and retreat, the captain would actually set fire to the ship as soon as everyone disembarked.
This tactic had a powerful psychological effect on the soldiers. There was no other choice but to be 100% committed to going forward and succeeding, because there was nowhere else to go.
We need to have that same resilience to stick to our plan no matter what happens. Fear, doubt and worry can weaken our resolve, things are usually not as bad as we fear they will be. Once we allow negativity to put a chink in our amour, we then become vulnerable to obstacles and attack.
We need to constantly remind ourselves that we will not give up. Our goals and dreams are worth the hard times and the setbacks. And challenges are inevitable. Nothing worthwhile comes easy. Ask any champion. Simply continue pressing forward and you will achieve your goals.
And that leads us to our discussion of failure; what it is and what it is not.
Failure is a very basic fact of life. At some time or another, everybody is going to fail. Even the most successful people have fallen short or have not accomplished what they set out to do – at least the first time around.
Failure is not a curse, it is a learning experience.
Ask any successful person what got them over their hurdles in order to become a success. All of them will tell you it was the valuable lessons they learned from failing that gave them the insights they needed to succeed.
So yes, always work to succeed. Always do the very best that you can. Just know that there will be times that you will fall short, and do not allow it to knock you off track.
The truth is, in order to become successful, one must take chances, and that means you are going to be increasing your chances of failure. So accept your failures for the moment, learn from them, and get back to pursuing your goals.
Do not allow yourself to get discouraged by difficulties. Instead approach setbacks and hurdles as an opportunity to learn, grow and persevere!
Failure is going to happen. What matters is how you deal with it. Remember that every time you discover something that does not work, you’re one step closer to discovering what does work.
Congratulations, you’re already well on your way!
I am here to help. Corinne@edgeofchange.com
Wishing you the best always
Corinne McElroy CPCC, ORSC
Leadership Coach
Edge Of Change