Though many preach about the latent energies that failure unleashes within us and how it leads to immediate and direct success, this idea is not limited to entrepreneurship. These days, failure has come to be seen as a badge of honor, and you must flounder in crises to demonstrate your worth and abilities.
While we do not intend to minimize the learning opportunities and personal development from past failures, it greatly benefits us to highlight previous successes. From a mental perspective, having a flexible, success-oriented mindset is the key to handling situations. Letting the failure possibility creep into our ambitions and goals is counterproductive.
Success is More Important than Failure
Accepting failure is like declaring that it is the inevitable outcome of your efforts. Going forward, this mindset influences the actions you take or avoid, which could make you more likely to fail, leaving you trapped in a never-ending failure cycle.
Statistically speaking, most startups and business ventures fail in one way or another. Whether because of financing issues, expansion, or launching a product in the market, they will have their share of failure, and every worker must accept this truth. However, holding it up as a cornerstone of success will only result in more failure.
An entrepreneur may sometimes have to make the hardest decisions throughout their career, like selling the company shares they have spent years building, particularly if they plan to grow. The largest blow comes when their business struggles and employees leave out of concern for their professional future.
However, you must force yourself to move forward and work toward completing your next project outside of the conventional business sectors rather than labeling yourself as a failure.
The vast difference between the failure-based and flexibility-based mindsets manifests in behavior and actions. Although you might be afraid of losing money, you should take the next step immediately.
Instead of focusing on how to avoid failing, start considering how to succeed. Therefore, you must be resilient and determined, seize opportunities without hesitation, and avoid risk aversion, as these are the traits of failure.
The Flexibility Factor
Adopting a flexible, success-oriented mindset is based on setting aside thoughts of failure and allowing your mind to focus on the strategic actions necessary for success. While this may be easier said than done, the following steps can greatly help you in approaching your projects with a flexible mindset:
1. Creating a Daily Challenge List
Performing a task with a slim chance of success tests your courage. However, since practice makes perfect, doing this daily can help you strengthen and develop your flexibility mindset.
Begin your ten-day flexibility challenge with easy steps that incorporate mental and physical activities. A good way to start the first challenge is to start a daily 10-kilometer run. Other ideas include cooking at home, waking up an hour earlier without hitting the snooze button, getting discounts on store purchases, and socializing with new people daily.
Including a friend in this challenge will improve your chances of success. You don't have to complete the same tasks as your friend, but having a peer can help you stay motivated and accountable for completing the challenge.
2. Monitoring Your Mindset
You should pay close attention to and monitor your mental state just as much as you do with your physical activities. Pay close attention when you are at your best and worst, and try to repeat the actions that led to the best achievements, setting aside any actions that resulted in the worst outcomes.
Allocate 10 minutes each day to write down your daily activities. Don't let focusing on what happened hinder you. Instead, go more in-depth and describe your feelings regarding the decisions you made.
For example, you may write, "I'm thinking of giving an outdoor lesson to enjoy the autumn colors together. How I love my job!" or "I started my day with a 30-minute run, and the sun was rising in the sky, spreading its rays over the fields."
Monitoring your behavior during an activity allows you to easily think about the choices that generate a positive mental state. Then, you'll be able to plan your day better to keep a more optimistic outlook and have the chance to use any emotion, even negative ones, to fuel your drive for achievement.
3. Creating a Positive Internal Dialogue
Positive affirmations have proven effective. Repeating things that reflect your definition of success can encourage you to stay on your current course.
Practice the situation before it happens. Use this technique when facing specific situations, such as meeting with a bank officer. Picture yourself looking confident in a formal suit, a well-ironed shirt, and your go-to tie.
Imagine the bank representative coming into your office, shaking your hand, and giving them a document containing your current financial statements and the amount of financing you request.
Consider how you'll tell them about your business, how it is growing, and how their prior financing contributed to this success. Don't forget to express your gratitude and excitement for their continued support. Envision them agreeing to do that, and you leave the meeting with agreements that work to your advantage.
It's better to change your internal dialogue from worrying about the worst-case scenario to seeing a satisfactory solution, but you don't have to get bogged down in the details. You'll be more successful if you confidently approach things, even if you're unsure about the outcome.
4. Developing Short-Term Memory
Failure is inevitable and not a flaw. Acknowledge failure when it occurs, take the time to reflect on the situation to gain experience, encourage growth, and then move on. You will gain nothing from dwelling on your past mistakes.
The Optimist Creed by Christian D. Larson offers valuable wisdom, “To forget the mistakes of the past and press on to greater achievements of the future.” You may think this is hyperbole, but watch a child for a few minutes, and you will notice how they can quickly go from a negative psychological state to a positive one, unaffected by the setback.
Even though failure happens to everyone, you shouldn't adopt a "failing fast" mindset. Rather, adopt a success-oriented mindset emphasizing perseverance, positive thinking, and problem-solving, and you'll find that your chances of success increase.
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