Personally, I can divide my memories into two major categories. There are the “triumphs” and there are the “failures”. Have you ever noticed how easy it is to think about and talk about all the good things that have happened in your life? Have you ever noticed how easy it is to revel in something good that you accomplished?

Have you ever noticed how hard it is to look at a “failure”?

It’s hard to look at something in your life where you didn’t “quite make it”. It’s even harder when you “didn’t quite make it” and it was in public

It seems to me that this is a flaw in some people. Whenever there is a failure in their life, whether it was in their control or not, most people have a really tough time taking a step back and examining the “anatomy” or make-up of their failure. While people need to always strive to succeed, it’s important that you learn how to manage and deconstruct failure when you do find yourself there.

So, when you fall into a situation that you consider a “failure” there are a few things that you need to do.

The Anatomy of (Successfully Navigating) Failure

A really smart guy (Zig Ziglar) once said, “Failure is an event, never a person; an attitude, not an outcome.”

That one statement pretty much sums up everything you need to understand about navigating failure, but let me break it down a little further for you.

“Failure is an event, Never a Person”

As a society we tend to put labels on people. We say, “John is such a Failure. He can’t do anything right”, or “John is such a success, everything he touches turns to Gold”. Thinking in such a manner makes absolutely no sense. Every person’s successes and failures are a culmination of a series of events. Those events may lead you to fortune or they may lead you to failure.

The moment you start seeing your day as a collection of events/opportunities that can build a success or failure, you start seeing a clearer picture of the way the world works.

Right now is the point when a few of you will start citing the fact that uncontrolled circumstances can play a part in our lives. And right now is the point when I start pointing out people like Helen Keller or any of the folks in the video below. (They didn’t exactly have a charmed life.)

When you look at a failure in your life, you have to do one thing. Break it down and learn from it. The only true failure is when you mess something up and don’t learn from it. If you have never had a “failure” in your life then you are essentially an un-complete person. Part of the “Human Experience” is falling down. Success is being able to use every failure in your life to achieve a success.

Let’s take a look at the second half of Mr. Ziglar’s Quote:

“Failure is an attitude, not an outcome.”

The second part of Zig’s quote is something that I think people have a really tough time with. The key to really overcoming failure is to see it as a temporary inconvenience. When “failure” really starts effecting our lives is when we lose the ability to let go of it. Failure is never an outcome….unless we make it that.

The point here is that unless a “failure” results in the life being taken from our bodies…then it doesn’t really exist…except for in our minds. If it does exist in our minds, however, then it can seem very real and even impact our “everyday”.

4 Steps to Dealing with Failure (Hint: all mental)

1. Realize that its only as real as we make it.
2. Failure is an event, not a person.
3. Failure is an attitude, not an outcome.
4. There is no lasting Success without Failure of some kind.

So, what was the biggest failure in your life so far?

How did it make you better?

If you haven’t seen the “light on the other side”…what are some possible outcomes that you can see?

The Anatomy of Failure is a post from: DrBenAdkins.com - Serial Progress Seeker

Have you ever wondered why these people seem to excel in everything, while others seem to fail no matter what they try? I think we’re all fascinated with people who have talents that we don’t have, but I am especially drawn to folks who seem to be able to rise to the top at anything they try. While most of the world runs in circles, these people seem to be able to move mountains. I wanted to share with you a few things that make these “mountain movers” special.

«Insane Passion»

I realized a few months back that most people spend their lives chasing other people’s dreams. What I mean by this is that they see something that is either “accepted by society” and think that’s what they’re supposed to be doing, or they see some other person’s good idea and try to emulate that process in a bid to be successful themselves.
A major key to being successful in life is to stop trying to achieve another person’s dreams. The key is to figure out what really makes you happy. I have seen a million businesses fail because the person in charge didn’t have a passion for what they were doing. They were following a formula.

The first key to success is to find something that you are insanely passionate about. So how do you do that? To start, Ask yourself the questions below (and be honest):

1. What is the one thing that would make me the most happy if it happened tomorrow?
2. What is the most devastating thing that could happen to me if it happened tomorrow?

If you can even begin to answer those two questions, then you’re on your way.

«A Plan with A Timeline»

Ask yourself this: “How long it’s going to take to become successful at this?”
If you can’t answer this question, then you have some problems coming your way. A successful person not only has a plan, but they have an idea of how long it’s going to take for that plan to work. You can tell the “successful” person from the “always running circles” person just by talking to them.

• A Person who is doomed to fail says something like this: “I would like to (insert anything here) someday”

• A Person that is going to be successful says “I am going to (insert passion) in the (insert time period) by doing (insert your plan).”

A Successful Person has a plan and they have an exit strategy. That Exit Strategy includes what they will do if they are successful and what they will do if they aren’t.

«No Fear of Failure»

Okay, let me back up…Everyone fears failure…I don’t care who you are. There is a key difference between the people who are successful and those that aren’t. The successful people don’t let their fear of failure paralyze them. You show me any person that has had great triumphs in their life and I’ll show you at least one time when they “fell on their face.” “Failure” is empowering. “Failure” makes you smarter. I find that most of the people that never achieve what they want in life are the ones that never put themselves on the line. “Success” and “Failure” are two sides of the same coin. You can’t be afraid of flipping it!

«An Unorthodox Definition of Success»

This one is simple. The folks that measure their success in unusual ways, usually achieve success in the usual ways.

Barometers for Success

Usual- Money, Power, Respect
Unusual- Independence, Ability to Help Others, “People Not Always Knowing What I’m talking About”

Let me clarify that last “unusual barometer”. I consider myself successful in my job if people don’t always understand what I’m talking about. Part of my job is staying ahead of the curve, and if it takes the average person a little longer to catch on to what I’m doing…I know I’m doing something right (usually…haha).

«A Fear of “Standing Still”»

The Scariest thing for a motivated person is not moving foward. If you truly have a goal and a plan to achieve that goal, then you will do everything possible to keep that plan moving. Complacency is something that will never take you anywhere in life. “Complacency” creeps up on us and cuts giant holes in our plans. The successful person makes concrete plans, and gives themselves “outs” so that there will never be a time when they have to “stand still”. You have to rely on others to be successful (“No Man is an Island”), but sometimes other people can stall your plans as well. The key is to take precautions to prevent a “total stall” of your plans.

So how do you compare to the points above?

Is there anything that jumps out right away as something that may have been holding you back all this time? Let us know!

Send us a comment below.

Dr. Ben

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Why Some People Are More Successful Than You is a post from: DrBenAdkins.com - Serial Progress Seeker