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“If you are really ready to achieve your goal, be ready to fail.”
What is your GOAL?
I ask my client’s this question on a regular basis. It ensures they have a definitive idea of the outcome at the end. Of what it is that they really want to achieve. When we know this information, we can reverse engineer it and figure out their pathway to success. There is both a literal and metaphorical meaning to the question. In this blog post I will deal with both.
My Route to “SUCCESS”
“If you can’t walk off the mountain, you will need to be evacuated by helicopter”. The severity of my situation really kicked in at that point. My issue had progressively worsened over the previous three days, culminating in an inability to walk and a reduced level of consciousness. The decisions you make at this altitude can be life-altering and I was still very much aware of this fact.
Everest Base Camp was everything you could imagine, but my experience had just come to an abrupt ending. I was escorted outside to a cold, sandy flat on the side of a nearby slope and awaited the rescue team.
Everest Base Camp
8 weeks ago I led a team to Everest Basecamp. For the final 3 days of the ascent I developed HAPE (High Altitude Pulmonary Edema). As the leader of our expedition, this was not supposed to happen. However, sometimes we have to adapt and overcome.
My initial reaction if I’m honest was “oh fuck”. Thankfully I was still able to think with logic and I realised there was nothing I could do regarding the situation other than embrace it and move forward. Failure is an essential part of living and learning and we need to learn to love it. Why? Because the more we fail, the more we win.
A Learning experience
In any situation where we are met with resistance or things don’t go to plan, it is essential we take some positive away from the situation. There are things I will do differently on my next expedition. The pathway to success, just like the pathway to Everest Base Camp is strewn with unpredictability. This was not a failure, this was a learning opportunity.
What does FAILURE mean to you?
The definition of Failure “is the state or condition of not meeting a desirable or intended objective, and may be viewed as the opposite of success.”
When presented with adversity we have only two options. Dwell on our misfortune or learn from it and move forward. If you are ready to achieve your goals you need to brace yourself for the reality that you will FAIL some point.
Two things are certain when we step outside our comfort zone and try new things:
- We will fail more often
- We will achieve more than we would have staying comfortable
To achieve more you need to fail more. Our failures will give us valuable insight into what we need to do differently in order to achieve our goals. If you are really ready to achieve your goal, be ready to fail.
Failure is not a conclusion but rather the beginning of your success. Embrace it, own it, learn from it.
How do we embrace failure?
Start to reframe how you view your situation. You’re current situation is not your final destination. Set a goal and make a promise to yourself to start challenging yourself more. You will inevitably fail at least once if you are truly challenging yourself. The more you fail the easier it is. Don’t let the failures control the outcome.
Remember…Your thoughts manifest into reality. So own your thoughts. Everything you will do and have done, started off as just a thought. Control your thoughts, control your reality.
Two recommended sources on this subject are:
Thanks for reading. I hope you enjoyed the article. If you have any questions please feel free to contact me.
