How to Use Failure to Strengthen Belief in Yourself

2018-12-292018-12-29 ~ adminlife

Do you try to avoid failure? Most people do. It makes sense, too. Failing is no fun. It would be great if we could leap right to success. However, it doesn’t work that way. But, you can use tools to help you believe in yourself, and find that success. One of the best tools to help you is failure itself.

When you fail, you can use the experience to figure out what went wrong. You can evaluate the steps you took and try to find the point of failure. You can then choose alternative steps based on this information.

You do need to be honest in your assessment of why the failure happened. If you go around blaming everyone else for your failures, this will mask the true reasons, and you will never move on. It’s easier to blame others rather than admit mistakes. However, you aren’t doing yourself any favors when you do this.

Recognizing your failure is important, but don’t be overly critical. If you get to the point where you are putting yourself down because you failed, this won’t help your cause. You need to recognize that you failed, but know that it is going to happen and embrace it. Then, you can take a step back and figure out how to continue.

You can get inspiration from the failure of others. People write about their trials and tribulations in books or record videos about their experiences. Their experiences can help you by giving you tips on how to avoid the mistakes they made. Understanding this can help succeed at a much faster rate than if you make the same mistakes. Using other peoples’ experiences to your advantage is crucial. If you don’t do this already, it’s time to start.

Drawing from the experiences of others also shows you that you aren’t alone. If you read about how a successful person overcame obstacles, you can feel better about making mistakes. In other words, if they did it, so can you. That too is a powerful benefit of using failure to your advantage.

Is there ever a time when you should try to avoid failure? If you are repeating the same mistakes over and over, it’s time to take a hard look at what you are doing. If you can’t break that cycle, you may want to find a coach that can help you. Sometimes, that extra push can be all that is needed to get you to move on from that cycle.

To your success

Michael W

P.S. If you are looking for a confidence program that can help you with your self development. Send me an email at michael@youaresuccesslifecoach.com to request a copy of my “Maximum Confidence Transformation Package”. Afterwards we can arrange a discovery telephone call to discuss the package and how you can benefit further from developing your confidence level.

Feature photo used under CCO and available at https://pixabay.com/en/success-planning-strategy-draw-pen-620300/

Stop Being a Know-It-All

2018-12-212018-12-16 ~ adminlife

Knowledge is great. It gives you the power to make decisions and even keeps you from making the wrong ones. However, if you get to the point where you believe you know everything, that is going to hurt your ability to make those decisions. At that point, you will lose trust in your abilities.

You are one smart cookie. Perhaps you went to a great college which landed you a great job after graduation. Once you start working, however, you get fixated that you know everything there is to know. That is when you are in danger of losing your edge. You will start to make bad decisions which could end up costing you a job or two.

It is important to trust yourself with the knowledge you have learned. However, times and technologies change, and you need to be ready for those changes. Too many people get left behind by getting comfortable in their current positions.

Companies have been trying to help by offering training or tuition reimbursement. While this is a step in the right direction, if companies or colleges are not offering the appropriate training, this becomes a waste of money.

Another danger with companies offering internal training is they blame employees when those employees don’t learn from the offerings. Even if employees do learn, applying the knowledge may not increase the companies’ bottom lines. These companies don’t evaluate the effectiveness of their programs. Worse, they make broad claims that they are leading-edge companies because they offer training to employees.

There are some great training programs online from websites such as Udemy.com, SkillShare.com, and others. However, anyone is permitted to submit training modules and makes selecting these modules hit or miss. There are good offerings with these programs. But, you must rely on feedback from others.

No matter where you find training, modules can be well-presented but may still contain out-of-date material. People could give high ratings based on the fact that they are well-presented. That gives you a false sense of security that you are receiving proper training.

You must be quite selective when choosing training for the current work environment. Be overly critical, but don’t let it stop you from seeking training. Good training exists. Ask people you know for suggestions.

You should always stay in learning mode, no matter where you went to school or how much knowledge you think you have. In a constantly changing world, you’ll be way ahead of others, and it will give you the tools you need to trust your decisions.

To your success

Michael W

Feature photo used under CCO and available at https://pixabay.com/en/prague-library-prague-monastery-980732/

The Power of Self-Belief

2018-12-202018-12-16 ~ adminlife

If you believe in yourself, there is little to stop you in whatever you want to accomplish. It gives you the power to push forward and to defy the odds. You will be able to handle any roadblocks that come your way. You will also brush off the naysayers. It gives you peace of mind when you stick to your self-belief.

To keep that self-belief strong, you need to define your goals. You wouldn’t expect a general to fight a war without a map. You too need a map to guide you on how to proceed. Too many people skip this step and wonder why they aren’t getting anywhere.

Goals are your guidance, but carrying through with them is only done when you believe that it’s possible. The belief is the energy you need to take action. It helps you to focus on getting your tasks complete.

You will also build confidence when you have self-belief. It’s a powerful tool as others will be attracted to that confidence. They will follow your lead, and you will help show them what is possible. When you run into any stumbling blocks (and you will), that confidence will help you see them through. You will know how to take alternative action when necessary. The people following you will respect that as well.

Several forces will try to beat you down. You may even find yourself letting it happen. You need to get centred on why you started your journey in the first place. Use affirmations to reinforce your message. Be consistent with your affirmations.

Unfortunately, many of the negative forces are going to be from your family and friends. They will see it as helping you avoid mistakes. Many people will succumb to this negative pressure and give up. One way to prevent this is to join groups of like-minded individuals. It can be related to your business, or it can be groups that focus on self-help. These organizations exist to try and push the negative forces out. It’s great to go to meetings and get encouragement from the group.

Attending these groups can sometimes lead to friendships with people where you can extend the encouragement of each other. You may even form business partnerships from these friendships. It’s good to know that you have the support of these people when these relationships form. They understand when everyone else around you doesn’t. Your self-belief will strengthen considerably from this arrangement.

To your success

Michael W

Feature photo used under CCO and available at https://pixabay.com/en/paper-document-business-composition-3111146/

Learn the Facts Before Passing Judgment

2018-12-182018-12-16 ~ adminlife

Adversity often occurs when people react without having all the facts. Sometimes, they will think they have the facts but learned the wrong information. These situations can be avoided altogether by just getting the facts and making sure they are correct.

When you have the facts on your side, you can present your argument. Further, you will be less likely to make a judgment about a situation because the facts back it up. That will prevent you from getting yourself and others into adverse situations.

The internet has given us a vast pool of information. However, people are too willing to trust any information they find. They get a false sense of security by believing that the first set of results on a search engine are the most qualified results. That simply is not the case. Search engine results change rapidly, and you could produce different results from one search to the next on the same search engine.

When searching for your facts, try to find multiple sources that you believe carry authority. For instance, when you look for medical advice, don’t stop at a site such as WebMD.com and call it quits. While this website may have qualified advice, they aren’t the only source. See if you can find research to back your findings on the website in the Journal of the American Medical Association (JAMA).

When you find other websites, look for sources that the articles cite. Are they valid sources? Check to make sure they are from authoritative people. If you come across a blog that isn’t citing any sources but is making claims that appear to be facts, you should treat this with suspicion.

Anyone can create a blog, and have it published in minutes. They are free to publish whatever they like. That is why readers must be critical of every source they treat as fact. If a blogger publishes a piece that is purely an opinion piece, there is nothing wrong with this. But, don’t accept the post as fact. It can be a good starting point for your research.

You will hear people cite Wikipedia.org as a source for their facts. While the resource has gotten better at fact checking, don’t lose sight that anyone can add and make changes to it. Still, it does have some uses. At the end of most articles, there is a wealth of resources and links that authors often include. Use these for further research.

To your success

Michael W

Feature photo used under CCO and available at https://pixabay.com/en/magnifying-glass-facts-examine-1607160/

Why It Is Important to Believe in Yourself

2018-12-142018-12-10 ~ adminlife

You may wonder why it is important to believe in yourself. The simple answer is that no one else will. Your spouse and your family will believe in you to a certain extent. However, when times get tough, family support tends to wane. It’s not that they don’t love and care about you. It’s just they stopped believing in you.

While this doesn’t always happen, it happens often enough to cause conflict. An example is when a spouse or parents initially give you support on a new venture. When the venture doesn’t work out as they believe it should, they start to question whether you should continue with it. If your belief starts to weaken, you may take on their way of thinking.

The reason beliefs start to weaken is due to a fear of the unknown. When you start a new venture, everyone is excited for you and will tell you to give it your best shot. However, when the prospects of the business become murkier, that excitement turns to fear.

The problem is the path towards success for these ventures is not a straight line up. Having some bumps in the road is normal. In fact, this is what defines the success of the enterprise, and the people who are taking risks. It should be welcomed and not feared.

The fear of the unknown may start to creep into your psyche. It’s easier to listen to your family and friends tell you to dissolve your venture because it is failing. They will continue down this negative path until you decide to stop. If you do choose to give up on your business, they will tell you that it wasn’t meant to be and that starting a business is difficult.

That time is precisely the moment that you shouldn’t stop. People never get ahead by quitting. If you believe in yourself, you would have had the conviction to see it through. You would have the appropriate guidance to give you strength to surge ahead. You could have done all of it while telling your family and friends to have some faith. A firm belief in yourself would give you the courage to stand up to them.

Whatever venture you decide to pursue, know that only by continuing will you make it work. Think of Thomas Edison’s contribution to the lightbulb. While he did not invent the lightbulb (contrary to popular belief), he made ones that lasted longer. Imagine if he decided to quit after he ran into a few stumbling blocks early on.

To your success

Michael W

Feature photo used under CCO and available at https://pixabay.com/en/paper-document-business-composition-3111146/