If you missed the first part, you can find it
here.
By now it should be clear that what we are discussing here isn’t failure at all. It’s the process of trial and correction. (Why do they always call it trial and
error? That doesn’t make sense to me.)
I’ve heard many motivational speakers talk about the process of navigation an airliner takes to get from, say, Los Angeles to Hawaii. I think it’s said that the plane is actually off-course more than 70% of the flight time, and the process is to make constant corrections to get where it is going.
Part 1 was all about that process.
Part 2 is about the mental game. Failure is when you stop attempting to reach a goal, not the attempts that did not reach it. Therefore, the ultimate success of the process rests on your ability to continue to make the corrections and keep going. And that rests directly on your mental preparedness.
Lesson Five: Protect your mental attitude.
One or many attempts that do not result in reaching the goal do not mean you are a complete failure.
Another favorite story of the motivational industry is that of Thomas Edison, who when asked how he felt about failing to create the light bulb almost 10,000 times before he succeeded, answered that he hadn’t failed at all. He had merely discovered 9,999 ways not to create a light bulb. While the story may be apocryphal, the lesson is valuable.
Simply correct your course and keep going. Assume that you will reach the goal despite not doing so one time, twenty times, or 9,999 times. If your goal is that important to you, make the effort and it will eventually succeed.
Lesson Six: Speak in ways that empower your mind.
Over the past year and a half, I have learned just how powerful it is to align my words with my attitude and goals, and how equally powerful it is when I speak in negatives. My title for this article notwithstanding, couching your goals and subsequent conversation about them (both with yourself and others) in positive terms rather than negative is a key factor in reaching them.
Have you ever heard that your mind ignores the negative word and reacts only to the positive? For example, you can say ‘Don’t forget!’ Your mind will hear ‘Forget!’ but not ‘don’t’. Consequently, you will often forget. A better way to remember is to say ‘Remember!’ My memory has been better since I have disciplined myself to place the mental note correctly.
Not long ago, I realized that saying ‘I want to have no debt’ employs the same principle. I began saying ‘I will have $____ extra to save or spend as I please.’ It was amazing how reaching that goal was accelerated.
Was it magic? Did the words have some physical effect on the world? Some would say yes, others would scoff. I only know that it seemed to go faster after that.
I have yet to become perfect at this (or anything else, for that matter), so you may still see me use the word 'debt' in future articles. Nevertheless, I will continually seek new ways to refer to the subject while focusing on what we
want rather than what we want to eliminate!
Lesson Seven: Recommit to Your Goals.
It is a rare person who can maintain constant and consistent focus on a subject, even a much-desired goal. A bad day at the office, a financial setback, even a vacation or another project can cause your goal to take a back seat and be forgotten for a time.
That is not a failure IF you recommit to it when it comes back to your attention! After momentary inattention, recommit and again take action. Take it up where you left off. There’s been a backslide? Like the song says: ‘Pick yourself up, dust yourself off, and start all over again.’
You can do it!