Motivation Articles, Essays, Tips and Advice

Failure!

Just the word “failure” can send shivers down our spine. If you’re like me and many of my clients, you’re probably not a big fan of failing. However, if you think about some of your biggest failures in life, haven’t they taught you a great deal and been extremely valuable to your growth, your development, and even your happiness in hindsight?

Failure itself isn’t the real issue; it’s our relationship to and our fear of failure that causes us pain and frustration. Think of what your life, your relationships, and your career would be like if you were not afraid to fail? For most of us, this would make things very different.

Failure is essential …

No risk, no reward! Michael Jordan said, “I missed 100% of the shots that I didn’t take.” We rarely regret what we do. We mostly regret the things we don’t do; especially the ones we are scared to do.

On our path of life, growth, and success, we all encounter failure. Some of the most successful people who have ever walked the planet have failed miserably, publicly, and in ways that many of us would not be able to recover from.

What if we actually appreciated failing? Remember, appreciating something doesn’t necessarily mean we like or enjoy it. Appreciation means that we recognize the value of something and are grateful for it.

Things we can appreciate about failing:

- Failure often gives us important feedback about where we are

- Failure gives us contrast and can make success that much more meaningful

- Failure usually involves taking a risk, which is something we can acknowledge ourselves for and be proud of

- Failure is usually a great opportunity for learning, growth, and improvement

- Failure gives us an opportunity to love ourselves, even when we don’t do or get what we want

By learning to appreciate ourselves when we fail and appreciate the failure itself, we take our power back from situations, circumstances, and the opinions of other people in our lives.

Our ability to appreciate failure, learn from it, and use it to our advantage, gives us an important insight into how to create success in a conscious and deliberate way. Appreciating failure is a key to success and fulfillment.

Change your perspective …

Make a list of some of the biggest failures in your life – things from the past or things that are currently happening. What can you appreciate about each of these failures? What did you learn? What feedback did you get? How did failing in this way enhance your life?

If you look for it, you’ll be able to find many things to appreciate about your failures. Appreciating your failures will allow you alter your relationship to failing, let go of some of the fear you have about it, and ultimately create more success in your life!

(c) Mike Robbins – all rights reserved
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Mike Robbins is a an author, personal growth expert, and sought after keynote speaker who empowers individuals, organizations, and groups of all kinds to appreciate themselves and each other - thus leading to greater success, improved relationships, and increased fulfillment. Experience the positive impact of appreciation on yourself and those around you with this free preview of Mike’s bestselling book, FOCUS ON THE GOOD STUFF: The Power of Appreciation.

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In the field of human performance and psychology, there has been a lot of new information surrounding life balance.

With the increasing number of personal and professional commitments, people are struggling to find a proper balance for their life. Unfortunately, too often we put off the important things in deference to the immediate things.

Everyone agrees we should spend more time with our family and loved ones, but this is often the first area in the schedule to suffer if there is a crisis at work.

It is easy to tell ourselves that we will make up for this imbalance later in the week, the month, or the year.

Unfortunately, spending quality time with your friends and family in a two-week vacation next year cannot make up for daily contact.

Experts tell us that we should drink eight glasses of water each day. This means all of us should be consuming 64 ounces, or a half gallon of water, daily.

If we manage our water consumption the way many of us try to manage our lives, we would drink nothing throughout the month and then try to consume a little over 15 gallons of water on the last day.

This is laughable when we contemplate drinking water, but unfortunately it is how many of us manage our family life, our health, our recreation, our exercise, and personal development.

In order to be truly successful, we must achieve a daily balance of the things that are important to us with respect to our life priorities.

Whether it’s exercise, study, diet, or family time, it is much more critical what you do on a daily basis than how you structure your month or your year.

If you and I were to list our life priorities on a single sheet of paper, a stranger observing us should be able to identify our priorities in a matter of a few days.

The only thing we must do to have a successful life is to have a series of successful decades. Successful decades come from consistently having successful years. A successful year is made up of 12 successful months which are each comprised of four successful weeks. But when it’s all said and done, it all boils down to one day at a time.

For almost a decade, I have been endeavoring to write one of these columns each week, submitting some thought or principle I believe to be important.

At the end of each of these columns, including this one, I conclude with the critical phrase, “Today’s the Day!” This is significant because no matter what we are considering, we must make it a part of our daily routine, or it might never become a part of our life.

As you go through your day today, remember: All of your goals and your life itself boil down to how you live today.

Today’s the day!
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Jim Stovall is the president of Narrative Television Network, as well as a published author of many books including The Ultimate Gift. He is also a columnist and motivational speaker. He may be reached at 5840 South Memorial Drive, Suite 312, Tulsa, OK 74145-9082, or by e-mail at JimStovall@aol.com. Visit www.JimStovall.com

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The science of physics recognizes two kinds of inertia - both of which can be related to procrastination.

The first law states, “Standing objects tend to remain stationary.” The second law is the inverse: “Moving objects tend to stay in motion.”

Procrastination is stationary inertia. We aren’t moving, and we therefore don’t move!

Procrastination overcome, however, moves us into the arena where the law of motion takes over. We frequently find that once we’ve started a project or process, we stay with it until completion.

One of my favorite sayings from my friend Dr. Robert Schuller is posted on my word processor: “Beginning is Half Done!” (I’ve modified it to say, “Beginning is Half Won!”)

Here are seven techniques to overcome procrastination:

1. Take five minutes to identify what you are putting off…
On a blank sheet of paper, note several important activities that you realize you are delaying or have put on hold.

2. Look at your list of tasks and do one of them right now…
Put the energy you’ve been directing toward excuses into the activity you’ve been avoiding. You’ll discover that action eliminates anxiety.

3. If getting started is the hard part for you, set a designated time slot in the day to work on the list…
Set aside thirty minutes of your lunch hour for work specifically on one job, project, or personal goal that you’ve been avoiding or find difficult to start.

4. Don’t worry about perfection…
What counts is quality of effort, not perfect results. Don’t let yourself get bogged down with a preoccupation for perfectionism.

5. If what you are putting off involves other people, consult with them…
Your reasons for delaying action may be imaginary. Lack of communication often turns molehills into mountains.

6. If you fear the consequences associated with the action you’ve been avoiding, ask yourself, What’s the worst thing that could happen If I did this today?
The worst-case scenario most likely would be a minor inconvenience or a temporary setback.

7. Finally, Vividly picture how you’ll feel once the task is done.
Freedom from anxiety. Freedom from nagging pressures. Freedom from self-doubt. Accomplishing put-off tasks will give you a great boost of confidence and energy!

Ground breaking requires TNT. To blast your way out of apathy and overcoming procrastination. Remember what TNT means: Today! Not Tomorrow!
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Written by Denis Waitley. Visit his web site to receive the Denis Waitley Weekly Ezine.
(c) Denis Waitley International. All rights reserved worldwide.

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