Jim Rohn, the success guru and mentor, said, "Failure is a few errors in judgment repeated every day." The word to watch is "repeated."
Now there's a difference between temporary and permanent failure. We fail at many things in life; it's all part of our growth and development. A baby starts to walk and falls down, tries again, falls again. Eventually she walks. Failure evolves into success. You make an investment in a stock, based on the seller's advice. It turns out to be a dud. Failure here may teach you a lesson - a need to do more research on the stock, or on the seller ? or on both. You meet someone, fall in love, and get married within a month. Three months later you're in the middle of a divorce. Another failure with a lesson learned, hopefully.
Then there's permanent failure; he does the same thing over and over again and gets the same bad results. He earns the title, "Failure."
Everyone wants to know how to be successful, but not everyone is prepared to take the action required to do (or stop doing) what it takes to achieve success. We avidly devour books on success and motivation. They are some of the biggest sellers found in bookshops, usually listed under "psychology", "self-improvement", "management", or "business." People attend lectures and seminars by business and motivational speakers on how to be more accomplished, more productive, and more successful. They are impressed, inspired, and uplifted. But 80-90% of those people do nothing as a result of attending those events. They take no action to achieve what they know and believe should be done to change their circumstances for the better. How come?
Rather than spout off here about how to become successful, I'm going to talk about how you can become a failure ? a little reverse psychology. I can talk about this because I've been there and I've learned some tough lessons. Tom Peters said failure in itself is good, even necessary. Without failure there can be no real learning or achievement. Permanent failure, however, is when we don't learn from our temporary failures. The real issue is that if you don't focus on what causes failure, and if you don't decide to do something about it, you're perpetuating permanent failure and blocking any path to success.
Here are thirteen ways to fail consistently:
1. Have no written goals whatsoever.
2. Have no plans.
3. Take little or no action, even if you have goals.
4. Associate with the wrong people.
5. Watch too much TV.
6. Never listen to, or inquire about, others' interests.
7. Avoid all risks.
8. Complain and whine constantly.
9. Depend on others too much.
10. Don't read or study success.
11. Stay in your comfort zone.
12. Blame others for your "bad luck."
13. Be afraid to say 'No!"
Here's how to reverse the flow of permanent failure
? Make a big circle around the ones that are true for you.
? Make a decision to make them part of your new focus.
? Rewrite each circled item like this: for example, # 1: "Because I have no goals whatsoever, I am dissatisfied (or bored) with my life" or "I see no success in my future" or "I will never be promoted", or some other negative result you can think of. Be as honest as you can. Then decide to change the status quo. Pick one item and work on it, starting today. Let me know how you made out! In future articles I will elaborate on some of these specific causes of permanent failure.
John Madden is an international speaker, trainer, and author of "Leap, Don't Sleep" (How to get different results by doing something different). He helps businesses and individuals become more successful through customer service training, changing present results, coaching skills for managers, stress management through humor, time management, and interpersonal skills. You can reach him at 316-689-6932; email at john@leapdontsleep.com; web site: john@leapdontsleep.com
Ancona limousine airport .. Lockport Chicago limo O’HareThe most under rated method to achieve success is: The... Read More
Asking questions is one of the most basic ways that... Read More
One of the common elements you see in almost all... Read More
As a golfer and coach, I've been thrilled to watch... Read More
* Perfectionism is a time waster.Strive for excellence on important... Read More
Daddy was a very, very odd little man-possibly a schizophrenic-for... Read More
I don't need to be a gypsy fortune teller to... Read More
"The more you hate, the more you love."What an ironic... Read More
1. Clear vision + Intention + Purpose... Read More
From time to time I receive correspondence from individuals with... Read More
We all want success. You do. So do I. Some... Read More
Succinctly said, success is harmony. When the result is congruent... Read More
e-Learning is doubling yearly. Classes, e-courses, e-books on how-to and... Read More
J. Paul Getty appeared to be incredibly lucky, but it... Read More
Why is true success so rare?Why does research show that... Read More
Each human being, who exists above the level of simple... Read More
Success isn't all that it's cracked up to be... I'm... Read More
Opportunity is all around us and has many facets, but... Read More
Five-time gold medal-winning figure skater, Jenny Kilmer, has won the... Read More
Ever have those days where no matter what you try... Read More
What if?you could have it all? 6 Steps to Living... Read More
Not only do we communicate with ourselves, but our cells... Read More
If you ask most people whether they would like to... Read More
Energy and persistence conquer all things. - Benjamin FranklinThough Ben... Read More
I am writing this article to cement two key success... Read More
Buffalo Grove cheapest limo ..I have often been asked the question, "What is true... Read More
Q. My problem is that I have trouble keeping my... Read More
I do! I want to be a millionaire! Do you?Judging... Read More
Becoming successful requires a lifestyle change. It requires that you... Read More
If you are sick and tired of the dreaming phase... Read More
I remember, about 35 years ago, reading two books by... Read More
Taking action is the strongest way to create success in... Read More
In terms of life success, there are four pretty obvious... Read More
A person who is illiterate can look at a word... Read More
Periodically re-check and refine (or redefine) your goals It's no... Read More
Believe it or not, there is a special 3-step formula... Read More
One of the most common refrains I hear from people... Read More
Change is one of the biggest concepts facing today's society.... Read More
Ten years ago I went into the studio and recorded... Read More
Are you on the right track?Stop for a while, look... Read More
Lots of people network but few reap the rewards of... Read More
There are two things that will determine your success or... Read More
When I was in college, I heard someone say something... Read More
In my work with clients, the issue of perspectives comes... Read More
The ability to make good decisions is an essential step... Read More
Understand and apply this one secret to your own life,... Read More
In the book, The SHOCKwealth System?, it is discussed that... Read More
It goes without saying that we are unlikely to experience... Read More
Frederick W. Smith attended Yale University and wrote a paper... Read More
There have been a lot of really good movies made... Read More
Success |