Sep 21, 2017
Leadership guru, John Maxwell teaches that, “Life is playing a
poor hand well.” Success comes not from eliminating all adversity,
but from dealing with your difficulties and failures
constructively.
According to Maxwell,
“The essence of man is imperfection. Know that you're going to make mistakes…Wake up and realize this: Failure is simply a price we pay to achieve success.”
In his book, Failing Forward, Maxwell cites certain abilities that “high achievers” have honed enabling them to rebound from failure and keep moving forward.
REJECT REJECTION – Just because you failed at something does not mean you are a “failure.” Get over yourself, learn from the mistake, and get back in the game.
DON’T POINT FINGERS – Never play the blame game. Readily accept responsibility for your role in the situation.
SEE FAILURE AS TEMPORARY – Focus on the big picture. This was an isolated mistake, not an event heralding a lifetime of “loserdom”.
SET REALISTIC GOALS – Unrealistic ones doom you to failure.
FOCUS ON STRENGTHS – You’re built to give your talents to the world. Why waste time and energy on shoring up your weaknesses?
VARY APPROACHES TO ACHIEVEMENT – Most self-made millionaires travelled down an array of career paths before finding the one that worked. If they didn’t succeed at one particular choice, they moved on.
BOUNCE BACK – Don’t dwell on negative reversals. Learn from them and quickly move on without all the mental self-flagellation that will not only thwart your next attempts at success, but may settle in and become chronic.
Maxwell claims, “It's nearly impossible for you to believe you are a failure and move forward at the same time. Failure, like death and taxes, will happen. Your response to failure holds the key to your future.”