“I made a huge stuff-up! Oh man, not again!”
It is easy to kick ourselves or go into a self-berating tail spin for missing opportunities or making a “mistake”. I sometimes get asked (with a tone of helplessness) “But what can I do about it? It is just how it is and I just can’t see what can change!”
Disappointment can be hard to stomach. However, understand that thinking helplessly is a choice you make. If you make this choice then I suggest you kick yourself – very hard! You also have the choice to genuinely think about and look for a great solution to that question. If you go looking hard and long enough, you will find the answer. How? The broadest answer - create a much higher chance of you achieving what you really want. Here are a few details:
Accept what happened and then create new awareness. Only accepting what happened means nothing changes. Decide to use the temporary defeat as an opportunity to do things better, make a better product or just find a way somehow. We will all stuff up at some stage, but minimise those times through getting better at what we do. This choice comes down to the standards you hold for yourself and the expectations you have for your future. Put the self berating on hold and allow the mind to be open to solutions.
Look around at what others have done or how they overcame obstacles. Success leaves clues everywhere and they are plain to see IF YOU LOOK HARD ENOUGH FOR THEM. Who do you know that has overcome obstacles, especially in the area where you are experiencing them? Ask them how – most people are only too happy to help others! Find people through networking links. Introduce yourself to someone you don’t know who has overcome obstacles and ask them – what ever it takes!
Study examples of people or teams who have achieved in the face of big odds. You may just find that achievers had to struggle to overcome real or perceived obstacles. They will have honed their skills, techniques, minds and bodies to take the next steps that ultimately saw them through to the big achievement. How about the NZ All Whites at the FIFA World Cup 2010? Do you think they sat down and whinged that NZ only have 25 professional players and a coach getting paid $50,000 annual salary?
Other sources include written and audio/visual material. Untold books, articles, seminars and DVDs exist outlining successful techniques and experiences. Most of these can be accessed at any time relatively cheaply, if not free. There should be no excuse for not having the information. It is everywhere!
Yes, you may need better systems. Yes, you may need better people on board. Yes, you may need a lot of things. Get on with it and do what it takes if it is that important to you.
What you see depends on what you are looking for. Opportunities are everywhere if you chose to tune in to them. By focussing and searching for the answers you start to become aware of opportunities that were always there but you just couldn’t see them before.
It is all about thinking differently. Either think how you always have and get the same result, or make positive changes to change the result positively. Remember success leaves clues….everywhere!
This article appears in the GrowFARM Connector (June 2010) - our monthly e-Newsletter. Click here to subscribe to the e-Newsletter