‘‘Failures are finger posts on the road to achievement’
-C.S. Lewis
So many are afraid to fail. Fear, conscious or (most likely) subconscious, sits at the root of almost all progress forward or upward. Our biology, both mind and body, wants to keep us safe. So, we play it safe.
And safe is the worst possible mind to be in when you’re planning for Good Things To Happen in the New Year. For now….let’s talk about “failures” – head on.
The old…“why should I bother? Look at the last two years. Right?” comes to mind.
Here are 3 points to consider. I’m including some “trigger words,” so be warned!
1. Pivot… Pivot! PIVOT! This classic ‘Friends’ scene never fails to make me laugh – three people of the main cast attempt to move a couch up a stairwell which is far too small to accommodate it, with hilarious results. While a lot of people would probably also have been reminded of that same sketch prior to the pandemic, the term ‘pivot’ now seems to be a trigger for “bad memories of 2020” for a lot of people thanks to its portrayal in the media as ‘the only way’ for them to survive the pandemic. Under the circumstances, this negative association isn’t surprising, and neither is the desire to avoid trying anything new after a tumultuous two years in both our personal and business lives. (Isn’t that odd?)
However, this negativity is a real threat to our mental health and the viability of our businesses as it makes us see change as something to fear rather than embrace, so it’s vital we reframe our thinking and open ourselves back up to positive change once more and include it in our plans for 2022 in order to THRIVE rather than just survive.
WATCH THIS RIGHT NOW…the ‘Pivot’ scene I mentioned. You deserve a belly laugh, and it might just be the first step towards breaking that “2020 association” for good.
2. Why is pivoting so important anyway? While most of us (hopefully) haven’t tried to move a couch up a stairwell ourselves like in the sketch above, I’m sure there have been times where all of us have found ourselves stuck when it comes to our business and future, and that is when pivoting can be the best way to turn a ‘failure’ into an opportunity for success. If something in your life or business isn’t working out, making a big change and trying a new or adapted route can often be a better use of your time and resources than banging your head against a proverbial brick wall. This way, you can still use the positive, working parts of your original plan while also removing the deadweight that’s getting in the way of your success. For that reason, I like to plan ‘pivot points’ for myself throughout the year to give myself chances to step back and re-evaluate where I am in relation to my goals, then take action for change if necessary, BEFORE my hand is forced. This gives me a real opportunity to ‘check in’ with myself from a healthy headspace and see both the forest AND the trees. Try working in 90-day Sprints….it works!
3. What to do when you feel like giving up: Life can get overwhelming at the best of times, but when something goes wrong and nothing seems to be going right, it can be a real blow to your confidence and make you want to throw in the towel altogether. The first thing you need to remember when this happens is that feeling this way is NORMAL. ‘Failure’ is scary; most of us spend our entire lives desperately trying to avoid it. So, it’s okay to feel down, frustrated, or despondent when things don’t work out – in fact, allowing yourself to acknowledge and process these emotions is the first step in picking yourself back up again! Take a moment for yourself and do something you enjoy instead of wallowing in the negativity of ‘if only’. Read a book. Go for a walk. Meet up with a friend for a coffee. It doesn’t matter what it is, as long as it brings you joy and peace. Only then will you be able to focus and look at the problem in front of you from a fresh perspective and work out your next steps, whether that be seeking help from others, ‘pivoting’ to try something new, or simply pushing through this rough patch to greener pastures on the other side!
One final thought from James Baldwin to call upon when things get tough:
‘Not everything that is faced can be changed, but nothing can be changed until it is faced.’.