< Go Back No Failure, Only Feedback Posted: Sep 23, 2015 The greatest mistake you can make in life is to be continually fearing you will make one. ~ Elbert Hubbard
When an activity or idea doesn t produce the outcome we want, or expect, it s usual to describe the result as a mistake or a failure. How we react to this depends on how we perceive failure; whether we are motivated to move away from it, or whether we find the whole process so difficult to deal with that we become paralysed by it. Failure drives some people forwards in search of success but many others simply give up because they cannot cope with the idea of making more mistakes and failing yet again.
So, if we aren t motivated by them, is there anything we can do about those horribly negative words mistake and failure ?
Yes there is! One method used by successful people is to simply delete them both from their mental dictionary and replace them with the more useful (and less emotional) words outcome and feedback . Now, any result that is not wanted or expected is no longer a mistake or failure but merely an outcome that produces feedback and information that can be used to move towards a desired result. This method can be summed up in the statement: there is no failure, only feedback . Once you adopt this philosophy nothing is wrong or negative; adverse results are simply different from what was anticipated and can provide valuable opportunities for learning and growth.
Next time your outcomes aren t what you wanted or expected, look for the positive learning opportunities they provide and use this feedback to change what you are doing until you create the outcomes you do desire.
