Happy Monday or whatever Monday you choose.
I trust you had a wonderful weekend. “I already messed up. I’m a screw-up. Why even bother? I may as well do (insert poor behavior here) since I am already failing.” Does this sound like you? How is this productive? Have you ever had your boss treat a mistake in a critical manner versus a coaching way? I’m pretty sure judgment is a demotivator. So why do that to yourself? If you have some regrets, ask yourself what you can learn from them. There is no need to beat yourself up when you make a mistake. It puts you in a weak frame of mind and can cause a downward spiral.
But, and there is always a but – "Should there not be consequences?" Dropping the ball is already a consequence. What can you learn from this? Do you know how to adapt and be flexible? If we knew how to do everything we would not need teachers, or mentors, or online learning. We live in a time that we have to juggle many things at the same time. Ask yourself if you need to keep that many balls in the air. Is everything that you are doing necessary? I have had so many “great” idea balls that have crashed to the ground because it is not the right time for those ideas. Even if I accomplished them, it would be at a cost to the goals that I am trying to achieve. How many completed ideas are empty victory trophies gathering dust in your life?
When you lack focus, there are going to be more dropped balls. Is now the time to take on another project? Have you accomplished any of the things you set out to do? If you are learning a new skill, do not move on to the next lesson until you have mastered your current one. I am learning Spanish, and part two is more challenging than part one. I keep advancing the lesson, but when I try and practice in real life, I am making rookie mistakes. I think I am going to restart part two and take advantage of the Spanish speakers around me to build on this foundation. I am not going to beat myself up. I recognize that I need more work in Spanish and will instead make a stronger foundation.
What’s next? When your decision to do the hard work leads you to succeed, you will have cause for celebration. Take the time to build on the things for which you are grateful. Research shows that people who practice gratitude are more likely to be able to sacrifice the now for the greater good. They are more likely to help others and create a network where others will help them as well. Do you have a vision? Do you have a clear picture of your end goal? I started Things To Think About, LLC, and in all honesty, I have not done the work of having a clear vision. I am not going to beat myself up since I am learning quite a bit about what this business is not. Will there be consequences? Yes. I am going to have more financial losses before I have commercial success, but I factored in losses when I began. This whole venture is an exercise in getting comfortable with failure. I tend to be very risk averse and not do anything at all. I am definitely beginning to love the unknown, the change, and the lessons I am learning. You all get to learn from my failures. My vision is becoming more specific, and I am learning to juggle only the necessary things instead of setting the balls on fire.
