Why I Don't Get Discouraged by the Many Falls I Experience!
"It's not whether you get knocked down, it's whether you get up." - Vince Lombardi.
We've all been there—pursuing a big goal, working hard, putting in the effort, only to stumble and fall flat on our faces. Maybe it was trying to start a business and having it fail spectacularly. Maybe it was the injuries I kept getting while training for a marathon. Or it was simply trying to learn a new skill, like coding or playing an instrument and constantly struggling.
Whatever the goal, setbacks and failures are an inevitable part of the process. The path to success is riddled with obstacles, pitfalls, and dead ends. As the old saying goes, "You don't drown by falling in the water—you drown by staying there."
I know this all too well from personal experience:
When I started my last business, we worked tirelessly to get it off the ground for over a year - only to flounder completely within six months of launch. Ouch.
As a kid learning to play the guitar, I gave up repeatedly, crushed by my inability to master even basic chords and solos after tons of practice.
In each case, getting discouraged and quitting would have been easy—to say, "This is just too hard" and move on to something else.
But over the years, I've realised that the most worthwhile things in life are hard—really hard. Success doesn't come easy—it's earned through perseverance, grit, and a stubborn refusal to give up in the face of adversity.
Here are a few mindsets and strategies that have helped me bounce back from setbacks:
Reframe failures as lessons and opportunities, not roadblocks. Every mistake or false start provides valuable feedback about what doesn't work—a required step to eventually uncover what does work.
Focus on the process, not the results. You can control your effort and actions - not the final outcomes. If you commit to the process, the results will eventually follow.
Seek out inspirational stories of people overcoming adversity. Their struggles and triumphs provide motivation.
As the Old Indian Proverb says, "No one who can rise before dawn three hundred sixty days a year fails to make his family rich."Approach your goal with patience and a long-term mindset. Meaningful pursuits take time. Enjoy the journey, growing along the way through your trials. As Confucius said, "It does not matter how slowly you go as long as you do not stop."
Build in accountability. Whether it's a workout partner, a mastermind group, or a coach, having supportive people to answer to makes you far less likely to give up.
Celebrate small wins along the way. These victories and incremental progress help sustain your fire during tough times.
When I think back on my biggest accomplishments and most rewarding experiences - building a business, writing books, completing difficult physical challenges - one thing is constant:
None of them would have been possible if I had gotten discouraged and quit after my first, second, or even twentieth failures along the way.
It's a bit cliché, but the old adage is true: anything worth achieving requires persistence, commitment, and pushing through adversity.
Failure isn't the opposite of success - it's a required step towards success.
So embrace the falls, the rejections, and the setbacks. Let them refine you rather than define you. Stay on the path, adjusting your approach as needed. Have faith that if you keep putting one foot before the other, you'll eventually get to where you want to go.
As Winston Churchill said, "Success is not final, failure is not fatal: it is the courage to continue that counts."
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