A recent experience, prompted me to consider the words 'success' and 'failure' and what they really mean to me in my life. This article explains what I have come to understand from handling that experience and I would now like to share what I have learnt with you.
1. Take the word 'Failure' out of your vocabulary forever!
There is NO SUCH THING as failure! The word 'failure', and its opposite 'success', are definitions of certain conditions we experience as human beings. In essence, the human experiences that we refer to as 'success' and 'failure' are the means we use to judge our ability to fulfill our individual goals in life.
2. Always think positive thoughts.
If you want to be successful in anything you do, never focus on negativity. Worrying about something that could happen, but hasn't yet happened is one way of focusing on negativity. By focusing on it, you are inviting that experience to become part of your consciousness, even if you do not want it to happen. Thinking in a negative way with negative expectations actually draws that energy towards you. This becomes the reality you accept, create and experience in your life, whether directly or indirectly. You create your own reality with your thoughts; it's as simple as that!
3. Know that your worst experiences and 'failures' in life are always your best assets!
Life experiences are the means from which you learn and grow. Your worst experiences are your best assets because they provide the most potential for growth. This might sound strange, but it depends how you look at it. The more difficult the experience, the more challenging it becomes. The more challenging it becomes, the more potential for growth there is. It's that simple! Next time you encounter a difficult experience ask yourself ?what I am learning from this and how can I grow?? Asking those questions means you instantly change the experience from being negative to positive because you are looking for the advantages in the situation as opposed to its disadvantages. Do this in every situation and your life will change dramatically as a result. From now on, understand that experiences you would normally consider as being negative are always blessings in disguise!
4. Recognize 'failure' as being the hidden force that guides you to the life path you are supposed to be walking.
I am sure you have been aware of certain events, opportunities and meetings that occur at exactly the right time in your life, as if by chance. These events do not happen by coincidence, in fact they are the means by which you change and advance throughout life. Most of the time these 'miraculous' events are recognized as being positive in nature, however, what about the opposite situation, when tragic or almost life threatening situations occur? What purpose do they serve? These are the events that bring you to your knees, force you to experience humility and leave you with no other choice but to consider a change of direction. When something does not work out for you, all it simply means is that you are not doing what you are supposed to be doing. That is the nature of the universe that guides you. It is all about trust, and knowing that letting go of your ego and surrendering means you will be guided to exactly where you should be. Understanding life from this perspective means you accept all events in your life as being positive, bearing potential for growth.
5. See 'failure' as an opportunity to learn, grow and develop in new ways.
So you did not accomplish the task you had set out to, so what now? You feel like a loser, you have let yourself and everyone else down. Everyone judges you, blames you, laughs at you, you feel as though you can't do anything right and have decided to give up. Well, guess what, being perfect is NOT part of the life plan! You are only human and that means NOT PERFECT! As a race of human beings, we are all here to learn, grow and evolve from all we experience, even our so-called 'failures'. You are not the only one who cannot do everything perfectly. There is nobody on this planet that can do everything perfectly! We are all unique and nobody has the right to judge you for what you have or haven't accomplished in life. Whoever judges you for not doing something the way they expect it to be done will never see the true light of your capability. Judgmental people only see things according to the way they think things should be done. That is their limitation. Anyway, how can you accomplish someone else's vision? You cannot, and that is the beauty of life after all, to see your own vision and bringing that vision to life. If you set out to accomplish something the way your own heart guides you, you will never fail. In matters of the heart there is no right or wrong. Your heart is the link to your soul. Really listening to your heart and trusting that as oppose to functioning through ego, means you are open to the guidance of your soul. The purpose of your life is the evolution of your soul, and if your heart tells you something then it means your soul is trying to guide you. Just listen, trust it and follow it. You will never go wrong!
6. Allow yourself to make mistakes.
There is nothing wrong with making mistakes, so long as you learn from them. Mistakes are part of being human and a source of learning. Unfortunately, at this time in our world, we are less capable of seeing the wisdom inherent in sharing love, compassion, patience and understanding with one another. Until we do, learning what not to do through our mistakes will remain our main source of growth. A 'mistake' is another form of human judgment. It is the definition of a circumstance we create and experience when we do not comply with a specific set of rules, conditions or expectations. Keep this in mind the next time you stand accused of making a mistake. Recognize this as being another form of judgment. Judgment is limitation and does not equal growth! Learn to be compassionate toward yourself. Compassion is unconditional. Compassion is an elevated form of love that knows that we all come from, and will eventually return to, the same energy source. Compassion means knowing we are all creative beings who create life in its many forms through our own expression of thoughts, words, emotions, actions and intentions. In a compassionate universe that knows we evolve through experience, because this is our soul purpose, there is no place for judgment or limitation. Again, I ask you to look for the lesson in all experiences you encounter and never punish yourself for what you think are your mistakes. Learn from the situations you could have handled in a different way and make alternative choices in future.
7. Ask for help when you need it.
There is absolutely nothing wrong with asking for help when you need it. Asking for help from someone else does not mean that you are stupid, lazy, or incapable. It means that you are someone who is open minded and values other people and what they can offer in terms of learning. If you approach all life situations with similar openness you will realize that you are able to achieve more than you would independently. Asking someone else for help does not mean you are cheating your way to success either, so long as you do not become dependent on them doing everything for you. Letting go of your own pride and ego, and allowing someone else's knowledge to penetrate your work is already a great achievement in the midst of this self-centered, egotistical world, so don't be too hard on yourself! From now on, try to involve others in your projects, but in a way that promotes growth, not dependency. The knowledge that can be attained by sharing your experience with others is as vast as the ocean! You have nothing to lose, so let go of your pride, open your heart and let other people in.
8. Be patient!
Impatience means there are expectations and conditions placed upon your goal. This is because you are fixated upon the end result. It is normal to expect accomplishment from every challenge you face in life, of course, this can motivate you. However, be careful of becoming too attached to one outcome. Being too attached to one outcome means you will likely miss any other opportunities that could have opened in the midst of your experience, had you been open minded enough to allow the universe to present them. Opportunity of this subtle nature is often missed when you are too focused on fulfilling one, and only one goal. This is a big limitation when it comes to growth! Being too attached to the outcome of any experience also means you lose the essence of the whole lesson from beginning to end. The beauty of any experience is how you deal with it all the way through, not what you achieve as an end result. This is definitely something to consider when you feel a surge of impatience in the midst of any of your challenges. If you do not value your entire experience for what it really is, the building blocks of your end result, you will never accomplish much. Learn to have patience, enjoy every moment and do not waste another breath, life is too short! Don't spend any more of your time dreaming about tomorrow, that's just wishing your life away. Enjoy life NOW! I have come to learn that success does not come from external accomplishments and having recognition from other people. Success is the state of being where you recognize that life is everywhere and is being re-created in every single thing that you do. This is 'being' alive, 'being' life and 'being' success!
