Saturday, February 26, 2011

How To Deal With Setbacks To Your Success

Do you sometimes feel that there is always a road block that is holding you back from achieving success? In my opinion the path to success is often the road less traveled. The road less traveled is not the well beaten down path you can travel with your flip flops on. No, it's the path that you need to wear your hiking boots. There are tree roots, puddles of water and large boulders to work your way around. That's why we wear the proper equipment. Life is also much like that to. We prepare ourselves for the obstacles that may come before us.
What do we do when the path we are on has a dead end or lengthy detour. This is the test to your real commitment to achieving your goal and ultimate success. We all face challenges in life. That's why the self-improvement business is so huge. Heck, I know. I have been a supporter of the industry most of my adult life. I have learned so much from what I have read. I have attended numerous personal development retreats. I have hired coaches to help me through some challenging times. Most importantly are the lessons I learned from my failures. It is very important to push past them. Failures can leave us scared and condition our minds to avoid making the same mistake as they most surely bring pain if we go back there. This in my view where many people lose hope. They give up when success is just a few inches or minutes away. There are many things we tackle in life that are totally dependent on getting it 100 percent right. 95 percent just wont cut it. But hold on. With out doubt most of us would be happy to be in the top 5 percent of our industry. The top 5 percent of income earners. To be the best golfer in our club. To be the best you would have been at 95 percent at some point on the way up. My advise is don't set your self up for failure. Life is about the journey.
So how do we deal with the set backs? One of the best ways is to have a support system in place. If you are truly committed to be the best you can be, you most certainly would have a mentor you can turn to for advise. Perhaps you have a life or business coach. These individuals will hear you out and provide some suggestions to go over or around those obstacles. We should not go through life saying that was a waste of time. An NLP coach I spent some very valuable time with a few years ago always used to say to me, "keep your eyes on the horizon". Isn't that where we are headed? I am a sailor so Bob got my attention. I also love to use sailing metaphors. We have no control over the wind and the weather so don't focus on that. So imagine you are here and the horizon is out there. Between you and the horizon are large waves. Often the wind coming in the wrong direction which means we have to tack up wind and not take the direct route. What we need to do is focus on the horizon. If we do this we are not looking at the huge waves that seem to endlessly toss us about. We wear foul weather gear to keep us dry and sea-boots to keep our feet dry and warm. If you can see it, I suggest you don't give up on it. "Keep your eyes on the horizon". Thank you Bob, very powerful words. You ask why would you go out there and do that Paul. It's simple. I don't leave the dock on a nasty day unless time dictates we do so. Under normal circumstances I wait for the weather to clear. My point is that the weather can change while we are out there. Be prepared.
We know we need to have the support people in place but we also need to have a plan. Like on a sailing adventure we plot our course. If the wind changes we make adjustments. You see a plan is just that. A Plan. With out one you have no starting point. No destination. The destination by the way can change to. This is why it is so critical to enjoy the journey. We discover along the way things, ideas and places that motivate us while bringing us joy in the process. Self improvement is a natural thing that lives inside us all. I believe society is becoming more accepting of us showing our feelings and sharing our dreams and aspirations. Life is hard work if your putting out signals of being a rock solid individual when there are things within us we are afraid to share. These fears will catch up with you. Just remember this. If you are always true to yourself and always tell the truth you don't have to remember what you said. Yes, we evolve but we do have a say in how that happens. The joy is in the journey.

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