Persist And Thrive
Thursday, November 16 2006"When I was a young man I observed that nine out of ten things I did were failures. I didn't want to be a failure, so I did ten times more work."
No one could accuse George Bernard Shaw of being a failure – or lazy. He was one of the leading figures of twentieth century theatre.
With an attitude like this quote suggests, Shaw was also a brilliant pragmatist. I believe he instinctively understood that the only real failure is in not trying - or giving up on yourself - and that success comes to those who try enough times.
In my experience, an attitude like this makes life much easier, more fun, less stressful - and more successful.
What would your life be like if:
- you accepted that nine out of ten things you tried might fail,
and - you did ten times more work?
For starters, failure would lose its sting pretty quickly! With all the practise, you'd become a master of picking yourself up, regrouping and moving on to number four, five, or nine on your list: be they new ways to approach the idea or brand new ideas.
You'd also become a master of resourcefulness, continually coming up with creative options. You'd become endlessly optimistic, knowing that as one door closed, you'd knock on ten more. Finally, you'd become immensely courageous as you became a person of dynamic and never ending action.
In a word, you'd become invincible.
How much do you subscribe to George Bernard Shaw's approach? What may have prevented you from adopting this approach already? And, the real test comes when you're a parent! How relaxed can you be when your darling boy or girl fails at something or wants to try something different?
I work with challenges like this with my personal clients and in my new Success Groups. If any of this resonates with you, do come and join me in the next Group on Thursday, November 23rd. There are still places available, and you can book now online here.
