Don’t Set Yourself Up to Fail – Fail Forward

Make Your Best Impression Blog   ·   September 21, 2009

Do you seem to be in a rut? Perhaps, like everything you try to do to move ahead just sets you back further and further.  If you learn and take some steps to grow from your mistakes, you may find them a blessing in disguise.

You will not find out how to fail here. Instead you will learn why you sometimes do fail. Unconsciously we sabotage our own efforts but you can consciously make choices to keep failure at bay in your personal goals.

 Failure is not fatal but it can be avoided when you take the necessary steps to ensure your success. Here are a few pitfalls to navigate around.

•  Have a plan – Winging it doesn’t always work. In fact, if you are serious about your goals winging it is never a good idea. Map out a strategy for getting your goals met. Now, just because you write it down doesn’t mean it is set in stone. Plans change but without one, you never really know where you are going or will end up.

•  Set deadlines that you can meet – The point of setting a goal is to achieve it. The goal itself might not be easy but it can be realized if you break it down into steps. Unrealistic timelines introduce the possibility of failure into the equation. Let’s say that you want to learn to swim. Giving the goal three weeks is not going to cut it. In fact, when the deadline comes and you still can’t swim, you might just give up.

•  Choose your goals for yourself – Sometimes we pursue certain goals because of someone else. It is their desire to speak French or climb a mountain but we take it on for whatever reason. If the desire to achieve is not there, neither will be the success. Lack of a motive for your goals will stop the train every time.

•  Don’t do it alone – No man or woman is an island. You interact with people each day. If you are having trouble achieving a goal, ask for help in the way of support. It is hard to reach the finish line when no one is cheering for you. Find the support and resources you need for success and use them.

•  Face your fears – As weird as it sounds, there is a fear of success that is going around. If you achieve this one goal, everyone will expect bigger and better things. Even if that’s not true it is the mindset of someone who fears failure. Instead of concentrating on the goal at hand, they worry about future goals that are still floating in the ether. When fear strikes, tell yourself that you will only think of the current goal and not a future that is not reality.

Have you met with failure and disappointment in the past when it comes to achieving your goals? Look at the above list and see if any one of these points derailed your goals. If so, deal with the problem and get back on track.