“Fail forward…”

When you read the quote above, what’s your reaction? 

Do you think it’s untrue?  Silly, glass-half-empty stuff? 

What if I told you that only you have the power to decide whether or not something is indeed, a “failure?”  In fact, there are some individuals—highly successful people—who believe the very word “failure” has no place in our vocabulary. A friend of mine who had a construction company used to say “failure is not an option.” Trust me when I tell you he failed a lot, beat himself up about it, got angry about it and eventually way stressed out about his perceived value or lack there-of, that he is now no longer in business.

 

Let’s talk about why.

 

Opposite Day

 

As a kid, you probably played that game “opposite day.” 

You’d play practical jokes on your family and friends and release some passive aggression in the process of claiming “opposite day.”  It was great—you could call the cutest girl in the class “ugly,” and then take it all back by simply exclaiming “opposite day!”  But, the end result is the same; you still would have acknowledged her cuteness.

 

Well, let’s play the game. What if today, failure really means success?  How can you acknowledge your success, even as you utter the word “failure”?  Well, you can point out:

 

a.  I was unaware of how much I learned in the process of getting here.

b.  Simply being able to recognize everything hadn’t gone according to plan, or achieved the desired outcome (i.e. “failed”), is in itself a positive outcome.

 

c.  The specific path I took this time around clearly wasn’t the right one and so it has successfully been eliminated and will not be repeated.

 

d.  I know to do things differently in the future.

 

e.  The experience has enabled me to grow in some way.

 

“Failure” is Feedback

 

“Failure” can simply be a great way to get us to pause in the midst of our process, and get some critical information to indicate that we may need to change direction, try something new, continue our learning, or shift our focus.  Perhaps that doesn’t sound like the easiest thing to do; stop in the middle of an upset, calm yourself down and shift perspectives. SATORI can help you do just that though. It’s a simple process for getting unstuck and moving forward again.

 

Imagine what would happen if we didn’t get that feedback, and continued endlessly along the wrong path, toward the wrong goal, or without ever learning a new approach? The thought is pretty scary, isn’t it? Failure then can really be seen as positive feedback—information that gets us back on the right track! For, without it, we would surely be lost. 

The key then is to identify it quickly, and change direction, try something new, or shift our focus. 

 

Here are four tips:

 

§  Always have a clear idea of where you want to go and continue to re-evaluate it as you move forward.

 

§  Identify specific milestones or markers along the way, to let you know you’re on the right track and celebrate each success.

 

§  If something doesn’t appear to be working, or working fast enough, don’t hesitate to try something new.

 

§  Continually learn—from others with whom you work, seek out experts, find others who may have traveled down a similar road before.

 

With SATORI as guide you can shift your perspective on so many levels. Easily and effortlessly.

 

 

By the way, did you know a SATORI can work easily in virtually any niche, and help you make consistent, recurring sales? Use my easy method to structure and launch SATORI that keeps the office, your home and life balanced and moving in the direction you need. Call Sharon at 702-228-1402 today for your free strategic session.