One of the thoughts (just one of them) that ran through my mind when faced with the dilemma of starting my own business, taking a new path and exiting my well established career was, “But, but, but what if it fails?”

What if it fails? What if it falls flat on its face, never to be resuscitated again? Dead.

The problem with this thought process is two things. Firstly, how do you define failure? And secondly, what’s with the negative thinking already? 😉

Let’s talk about the negative thinking first. A few things; your brain is a goal seeking mechanism. It is also like a 5 year old child who just wants to please you. And, here’s the crutch, it doesn’t recognise a negative. If I say to you, don’t think about a pink elephant, what are you thinking about? Your mind has to think about the thing that you don’t want first! So, if you don’t want failure, like the 5 year old child that it is, it is going to think about failure first and most surely bring it about for you.

Always think about the things you do want first. For example, “I am running a successful coaching practice”. Define exactly what that is going to look like too. (To help with goal setting, see here.) You’ve now set your brain and the five year old a much more positive filter for finding things for you.

Now to that word failure; you do know that word actually doesn’t exist the way you think it does, right?

Let’s define it. Failure is the feedback you get from your environment to recalibrate, refine and enrich your chosen path. That’s all it is. Lessons and opportunities to make the journey even better.

Let me let you in on a secret – you are bound to stuff up. You are bound to make a mistake or two. You are bound to change your mind, recorrect your position and possibly decide on another totally different path to the one you originally intended. How are you looking at that though? Are you looking at that as a bad thing? I think it can only be one of the most exciting things to find out what doesn’t work on the path to fulfillment and joy. Get the sh*t out of the way, and get it out of the way quickly, so you can get to the good stuff.

Looking back, technically, I’ve failed twice in business. But I don’t see it that way. I see it as a necessary learning in order to get to the great stuff that’s going on now. Otherwise, I wouldn’t be here.

How do you define failure? Let us know in the comments section below.

With love

Lynda

PS. If you like what I have to say or think someone else could benefit from this humble little blurb, feel free to ‘like it’ or ‘share it’