A Mistake Is Not Permission To Give Up

A Mistake Is Not Permission To Give Up

Everywhere we look, we see people who seem to have it all together. Their entire life has been made to look like one huge success.

In reality, those people made mistakes. Those same people dealt with obstacles and mishaps. Essentially, they failed their way to success.

What do we expect when we’re making our goals happen? Is it supposed to be easy, or even fair? Should one day of thinking about the results be enough to get there?

What Is A Mistake?

Most people think that mistakes are a bad thing – that it only happens when you’re doing something wrong. While that is somewhat a valid definition, it’s not completely true.

A mistake is feedback. Nothing more, nothing less. When you make a mistake, it’s not the end. Really, it’s the advice or direction you need in order to proceed further.

Mistakes are just another way to tell you to readjust your plan. When you see a detour sign on the road, you don’t turn around and go home. You simply discover a new route to your destination.

A Mistake Allows You To Figure It Out

Another reason some of us don’t get a chance to accomplish anything, is because we want the exact blueprint to get where we’re going and it doesn’t exist.

Everybody’s path is unique to them. Two people in the same type of business may be successful, but they didn’t get there by following an exact ‘this is how you do it’ template.

Your journey is yours to experience. No one else can follow your path because we all have different situations we have to live out. Therefore, every challenge and obstacle will be specific to that person.

Everyone doesn’t have the same drive and motivation to achieve their goals. You may have more focus than your friend, or your friend may be more persistent than you. How you navigate your circumstances determines your degree of success.

What Success Really Looks Like

What does success really look like? No one hardly ever puts out the down side of achieving their goals, but it definitely happens.

Prior to achieving your goal, you may experience any of the following:

  • late nights
  • early mornings
  • short on money
  • negative self-chatter
  • feeling lazy
  • the wrong thing happens at the wrong time
  • the right thing happens at the wrong time
  • low self-esteem
  • pity parties
  • giving up

It takes a strong mindset and more than normal effort to continue until you see your desired results, but it’s all a part of the journey.

Give Yourself Permission

Instead of taking the easy way out and being average, give yourself permission to stay up late until you finish or do just one more rep. No one should have to tell you how to win at your game.

One of the biggest things you should focus on is not giving up. A mistake is not a hint for you to give up and feel sorry for yourself. It is not confirmation that you’re on the wrong track. Adjust your path, but keep running.

Let’s be honest – you may have tried, but not hard enough. You’re capable of reaching your dreams, but you have to know it.

Do whatever it takes for you to believe and move forward – say positive affirmations, smile at yourself in the mirror, or compliment yourself in some kind of way – it doesn’t matter, but you’ve got to know that you are just as worthy and deserving of your achievements.

There is no mistake, distraction or insult that can stop you. Know that the only person that can stop you is yourself. Have the confidence to believe in you, go out and accomplish your dreams.

#BeGoalden

Change The Path, Not The Goal

Photo by John Torcasio on Unsplash

We all want to get there in as little time and pain, as possible. No matter what it is, our logic tells us to take the path of least resistance.

If you haven’t noticed, that path leads no where. It takes you directly to the place where you don’t want to be or back to square one – with the other average people.

The entire point is to get to your goal. You start and you hit an obstacle. That’s what happens. You figure it out (hooray!) and then you continue. Something happens that sets you back two steps. You deal with it.

Your belief in reaching your goal is strong, but a few months in, your faith begins to get a little shaky. “There has to be a better way,” you think.

Doing your best, you come up with a plan and switch your game up. That seems to help! Once again, you’re making progress. You can see the top of the mountain and you’re getting closer and closer.

After turning down dinner with friends, working through the weekends and remaining disciplined and focused, you finally reach your goal!

Congratulations! This is what it takes. Too many of us want the quick and easy way to the end. We want to see it before we even start to move towards it, just to be sure it’ll get us to where we want to be. The only way is to start and feel your way until you get there.

Everyone wants to see the path before they take it.

The Goalden Lady

We can plan that path, but understand that it will not always lead to the desired destination. It’s up to us to not quit – go back to the drawing board and create a new path.

Change the path, not the goal.

Let’s take football, for example. The object of the game is to get to your side of the field, with the football and score a touchdown. Every play that your team makes is important. Sometimes, your team will fumble the football and set you back 20 yards.

Then, you use another plan to throw the ball down the field. It could get intercepted or your team mate could catch it and run as far as they can, without getting tackled.

Or, you could pass the football to the running back for them to run as far as they can, while avoiding getting tackled by the other team.

Your team never stops, even if the ball is turned over to the opposing team – they keep trying with a different plan, to score a touchdown.

Even if the odds are against you to make a touchdown, you can still make an attempt to kick a field goal to get some points (which is still progress).

Both teams change their plans many times to reach their goal, but they never stop. When someone gets hurt, the game may stop for a while, but it continues. The goal still has to be accomplished.

This is how it is with your goals. Have a mindset that never quits. People will ‘tackle’ you and try to push you out of bounds (or away from your goal). Like the relentless football player, you must keep moving down the field until you score a touchdown. There’s no other way.

It’s time to play ‘football’ with your life. Never stop reaching for success. The clock hasn’t run out. Until then, you can keep changing and adjusting your plan an infinite number of times.

Change your path and adjust as often as you need to, but remember to keep the goal in front of you, at all times.

#BeGoalden