How to see opportunities not failures
I see failures not opportunities- how do I change this?
Our human brain is designed to protect us from harm so we are constantly scanning the environment for risk. The more we can control our environment the easier it is for us to remain safe. Unfortunately, this also means that we don’t take healthy risks often enough because we are seeing failure or risk and not opportunities. So how do you change that?
The first step is to acknowledge what your perception of failure is. Do you see failure as a bad thing? When you start to view failure as something that redirects you, teaches you about yourself, relationships or situations then you can feel more positive about failing. This may sound bizarre but you have no idea whether you are actually going to fail, so each time you convince yourself that you will and do not start you actually fulfil your own prophecy. You ensure that you fail.
It is unsurprising that you struggle to see more failures if you never start. What opportunity have you given yourself to succeed? Naturally the way you do this is to act anyway but in a way that reduces the fear of failure. You need to keep your new perspective of what failing is with you and find the smallest way to head towards the result you are looking for. This helps you be reminded of the fact that you aren’t doing it all right now you are just doing part of the process. This will reduce overwhelm and make you even more comfortable that you can achieve what you want.
For example, one of my goals is to keep consistent exercise happening to build a healthy legacy. This means my first step every day is to put my workout clothes on and my shoes. Even if I do not follow through with the workout I prepare myself for it. If I need to practice this everyday so that I know this will be a habit that’s what I do. You can do the same thing. Start with the smallest thing and keep it on repeat day in day out, you’ll soon start to see that ‘I’m prepared so I might as well take on that challenge and see what will happen, I’m half way there already’.
Take action towards your goals isn’t scary, just take one stair at a time not the whole staircase.
