Have you ever failed at something really important or vital? Of course, what a ridiculous question. How did you respond though? Everyone fails in life. Some people more than others. Some fail by doing the same thing over and over. Pure insanity. Some fail by trying to achieve a goal or result, they don't get what they want, and then they commit the ultimate failure - they never try again. Others fail simply by never putting themselves out there. For the sake of space, let's forget those who never put themselves out there. That's just pure loser mentality. Let's deal with how to handle failures. What separates the successful in life from everyone else, in regards to failure, is to view and approach failure differently. First, don't view failure like everyone else. See the results you’re getting for what they are, and accept them as just that. Don't see them worse than they are. The result is just some form of outcome. What can you learn from your result, and how can you change your approach to get a different result - preferably the one you're after? It's about measuring and managing the process. You must think of it this way. Next, you absolutely must learn to love failure. Nothing in life is easy or free, and everything worthwhile requires effort and sacrifice. I don't know a single successful person who doesn't fail over and over. They step up though, and respond. They welcome the failures, because they know that right around the corner lays their next greatest successes. The legendary basketball player, Michael Jordan, said it best, "I fail over and over again, and that is why I succeed". Words to live by. It's not about looking for failure, it's about accepting it for what it is, learning from it, and changing your approach when it happens. There's one more element to dealing with failure, and probably the most critical - the emotional element. Rather than go on-and-on, let's get right to the strategies to prepare you. Here are 5 simply ways to prepare yourself emotionally for dealing with failure:
This is your new blog post. Click here and start typing, or drag in elements from the top bar. If you really want something in life, you absolutely must commit to going for it 1000%. You must live, eat, sleep, breath, be willing to die to get what you want. Watch this video and enjoy! Do you play a sport? Actually, do you do anything competitively? If you're reading this, it's safe to assume you do. When you want to improve your skills, performance or results, who do you surround yourself with? People like you with similar level of talent that you can relate too, those with inferior abilities so you can dominate, or do you demand of yourself to compete against stronger talent? Most people play against similar talent levels or lower talent levels, and that's exactly why they never improve. You see, when you your standard is set exactly at the level you're currently at you will never improve. Even worse, when you compete against lesser talent your level doesn't stay the same, it DROPS. You actually get worse by lowering your competitive level. Your standard winds up becoming that of your competition. If that's the case then you must raise your standards and compete against, sell against, work with, and play against opponents that are significantly better than you. You become who you spend your time with. I bet if you look at and analyze your peer group, you probably earn within $5,000 of what the average is and you probably weigh within 5 pounds what everyone else does. If you want different results, raise your standard and develop a higher performing peer group. You don't have to say goodbye to your friends. Help them raise their standards and bring them along for the ride. Bottom line, you become who you spend time with. So, do you want to compete against a lesser opponent, similar opponent or someone or some company that is significantly stronger than you? How many of you are blessed with children, and how many have homework to contend with nightly? Growing up you went through school, just like your kids, and came home with homework. Homework is designed to test, reinforce and condition what you've learned. It's also designed to expand your knowledge and your belief systems. Children have homework right through high school for some, college and post graduate work for others. The fact is, homework is effective at improving your skill sets. Why then, do you stop doing homework, stop expanding and stop growing, learning and reinforcing the moment you graduate? It's not because you've decided to stop growing and learning. It's because you've gotten so wrapped up in the day-to-day minutia of your professional and personal life, that knowledge takes a back seat. It's also because you've never been given a blueprint to succeed beyond the school systems. What we know is from traditional education, and the focus has always been on structured academia. That works in the school systems, but in the real world, the professional world where you get downsized, laid-off and fired for not performing, this model simply doesn't work. It's not enough to rest on your laurels any longer. Great performers get fired everyday, because there's a class of elite professional who constantly focuses on improving their industry and personal knowledge, professional skills, and mastering their relationships. These elite members of all professions are safe, because they do their homework. Daily, weekly, monthly and annually they look for ways to improve. They're not satisfied with the status quo. They actively seek out the latest success books, industry journals, and related seminars. They network effectively, and their constant focus is on moving upward in all ways. They do their homework. So, what homework will you do to dominate your company, market and competition? Our middle child, Carter, has an incredibly valuable lesson he can teach all professionals. It's the lesson of mastery. You see, Carter is a passionate movie lover. He completely and totally immerses himself in the experience; acting out the scenes of the characters, reciting the lines as they happen and mimicking every move the actors make. Its as if he's apart of the movie. As proud parents, it's so amazing to watch him in action. I asked him why he does it. His answer was simple. "I want to be just like them, so I pretend and do what they do." How profoundly intelligent of a six year old. That begs the question, if a 6 year old can master a character, why don't adults do the same thing? As professionals, many people have already paid the price and achieved great success in every profession. So what can we learn from a child watching movies and pretending to be the main character? Well if you want the same results as someone else, here's my recommendation:
Recently I made a major purchase, and I asked the sales representative a question he simply could not answer. Rather then choose to help me the right way and get back to me, this salesman obviously choose to improvise on the spot. He not only lied to help the sale along, but he really damaged the credibility of his company in doing so. Needless to say I invested my money elsewhere, and unfortunately for him, his boss is one of my Winners Edge subscribers. So that begs the question - Have you ever been asked a question at a sales meeting you don't know the answer too? Of course you have. How do you react to it? Do you fumble your words searching for answers that make sense, or do you lie? Do you try and fake your way through it, or do you have a plan how to handle such situations? Well, if you're reading this my money is betting that you're a person of sincere integrity and character. Here's the thing, you don’t have to have all the answers all the time. The moment you try and fake it, your prospect or client senses your disingenuousness. Let me say it another way, they know you're lying immediately. So what can you do to turn the odds in your favor? Honesty and candor are always the best approach. Simply respond by telling the truth. "I want to provide you with the absolute best service and results possible, and in order for me to do that I'm going to have to research you question further to get you the correct answer." Your prospect or clients will respect your character and business integrity. This is true in all areas of life. So, my point in this week’s article is this: who do you know that engages in this type of behavior that you can immediately go out and positively influence? Who's professional life, and more importantly, personal character can you help transform. Go forth and be a force for good! There’s perhaps no greater skill that will get you ahead in life further than, listening. This presumes you’re asking the right questions of course, but for arguments sake let say you are. I call it, practice not art, because to be an effective listener you must practice every day. Sadly it’s a skill most people fail miserably. Most are so focused on what they have to say or contribute that they fail to understand and relate to whoever is talking. It’s completely disrespectful and self centered. Yet, effective listening does so much for you. It builds instant trust with others, because they can tell you are genuinely interested. You gain valuable insights, knowledge, skills, love, and respect. If you’re in sales effective listening reveals all the critical information necessary to build relationships, handle stalls and objections, and make deals happen. If you’re a parent or in a relationship, listening builds bridges of trust, rapport and love. So how do you become a better listener? Practice these 7 strategies with every conversation and you will drastically improve your skills and your future.
Follow these 7 strategies, and you’ll open up a world of respect, cause your success to happen easier, and build a more fulfilling future filled with rich and deep relationships and greater knowledge. Ever hear the expression; “I’m a jack of all trades”? I cringe whenever I hear someone bragging about knowing everything. It’s obvious they’re not committed to excellence. Being the jack of all trades is precisely the problem with the way most people attack their professions. They feel as though they have to know everything about everything related to their job. What ends up happening is that they become their own worst enemy. They are good at lots of things but have mastered none, and therefore never come close to reaching their full earnings or happiness potential. These people do 10,000 things 10 times. On the other hand, the most highly successful people in any profession master the fundamentals. They focus their attention on doing the dozen or so core fundamentals 10,000 times. They master the core of their vocation that makes them exceed what would be considered the peak for most. The best strategy for you is to go out and study the most successful leaders in your chosen field, and find out exactly what they are continually focusing on and mastering. There’s usually between 10 and 20 core strategies that, when mastered, sky-rocket their results. The best part of is, their success is completely duplicatable. Learn from their mistakes. Learn their success strategies. Cut down the learning curve. Master what they continue focus on day-in and day-out. Michael Jordan said it best when he talked about mastering the fundamentals being the secret to his success. Dribbling the ball on every square foot of the court, shooting tens of thousands of free throws, lay-ups, and jump shot from the exact spot every time. Everything begins with the fundamentals and branches out from there. | AuthorMy mission is simple: to make you, your team and/or your business happier, wealthier & more successful through my high-octane "Get Stuff Done Now" Results Workshop, Corporate Speaking, Sales Training, Motivation, Value Positioning, Corporate Vision Alignment and Goal Structuring! ArchivesMay 2012 CategoriesAll |
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