How to Fail Successfully

Greetings Intrepid Creators!

Here's my holistic approach to making the most of our failed attempts at just about anything:

Practical Steps to Take
First, think through the risks involved before you embark on the project. What reserves will you need in order to bounce back if things don't work out as you planned? Money, energy, time, self-confidence, flexibility? What is your Plan B?

Also consider your timing...by this I mean your personal timing and rhythms as much as any external timing factors. Is this the best time to start from both of these perspectives?

If indeed you do need to resort to Plan B, don't put it off. Let go of Plan A, and trust that if it is meant to come back, it will, in its own way and time.

In the meantime, apply whatever you learned from the experience to Plan B. It's possible that what you thought was Plan B was the plan after all, so don't be too quick to shrug it off as a mere consolation prize. Make the necessary course adjustments and lead with your heart.

Also, review my post on transitions from April 12. A failed attempt, properly managed, results in a transition, not a dead end.

Reframe the Failed Attempt for Yourself Emotionally
Put your own vision ahead of worrying about what others will think of your tumble. Give yourself permission to fail without labeling yourself a "failure." It's just trial and error on a larger, more frightening scale.

Also, remind yourself what good company you are in! We often hear stories of successful people who built their successes on the foundations of what they learned from their failures. Edison is perhaps the most frequently mentioned because of the many, many ways he discovered for making a light bulb that didn't work.

Transform Your Failed Attempts Into Service for Others
Use the experience you gained from your mistakes to help others find a smoother path. You can do this through writing, teaching, speaking, mentoring, and other ways. As Ralph Waldo Emerson said, "...to know even one life has breathed easier because you have lived. This is the meaning of success."

Coaching can help in all three of these areas. Email me at scleaver@dejazzd.com for a complimentary trial tele-coaching session.

To your success,
Susan

P.S. Last call for Saturday's Dig-In project day via teleconferencing technology, from 8:00am to 10:10am Eastern. To register for this complimentary gathering, email me by noon Eastern this Friday at scleaver@dejazzd.com. Dig-In Days are fun and effective!