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Harvey Mackay
Column for the week of February 1, 2010
Why Do We Fail?
And How Do We Fix It? |
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As any successful person will
honestly admit, I've had my share of failures. Since this column
is limited to 750 words, I won't bore you with the details!
But from every failure I have
learned an equally valuable lesson. The first lesson I learn
is that there was at least one reason I failed. The second lesson
I learn is that I can rebound from that failure.
According to Shiv Khera, author
of "You Can Win," failures most often occur for one
of the following seven reasons:
- Lack of persistence. More people fail not because they lack
knowledge or talent, but just because they quit. It is important
to remember two words: persistence and resistance. Persist in
what must be done and resist what ought not to be done. We all
have had setbacks in life. Failing does not mean we are failures!
- Lack of conviction. People who lack conviction take the middle
of the road. But what happens in the middle of the road? You
get run over. People without conviction go along to get along
because they lack confidence and courage. They conform in order
to get accepted even when they know that what they are doing
is wrong.
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- Rationalizing. Winners may analyze but never rationalize.
Losers rationalize and have a book full of excuses to tell you
why they could not succeed.
- Not learning from past mistakes. Some people live and learn, and some
only live. Wise people learn from their mistakes. Failure is
a teacher if we have the right attitude. I've always said experience
is the name we give to our mistakes.
- Lack of discipline. Anyone who has accomplished anything
worthwhile has never done it without discipline. Discipline takes
self-control, sacrifice and avoiding distractions and temptations.
It means staying focused.
- Poor self-esteem. Poor self-esteem is a lack of self-respect
and self-worth. People with low self-esteem are constantly trying
to find themselves, rather than creating the person they want
to be.
- Fatalistic attitude. A fatalistic attitude prevents people
from accepting responsibility for their position in life. They
attribute success and failure to luck. They resign themselves
to their fate, regardless of their efforts, that whatever has
to happen will happen anyway.
The rebound lesson is the more
pleasant part of the equation, but it is not without challenges.
Here are Professor Mackay's lessons learned from the problems
posed above:
1a. Try new approaches.
Persistence is important, but repeating the same actions over
and over again, hoping that this time you'll succeed, probably
won't get you any closer to your objective. Look at your previous
unsuccessful efforts and decide what to change. Keep making adjustments
and midcourse corrections, using your experience as a guide.
2a. Decide what is important
to you. If something is worth doing, it's worth doing right
and doing well. Let your passion show in even mundane tasks.
It's ok to collaborate and cooperate for success, but it's not
ok to compromise your values — ever.
3a. Change your perspective.
Don't think of every unsuccessful attempt as a failure. Few people
succeed at everything the first time. Most of us attain our goals
only through repeated effort. Do your best to learn everything
you can about what happened and why.
4a. Define the problem better.
Analyze the situation—what you want to achieve, what your
strategy is, why it didn't work and so on. Are you really viewing
the problem correctly? If you need money, you have more options
than increasing revenue. You could also cut expenses. Think about
what you're really trying to do.
5a. Don't be a perfectionist.
You may have an idealized vision of what success will look
and feel like. Although that can be motivational, it may not
be realistic. Succeeding at one goal won't eliminate all your
problems. Be clear on what will satisfy your objectives, and
don't obsess about superficial details.
6a. Don't label yourself.
You may have failed, but you're not a failure until you stop
trying. Think of yourself as someone still striving toward a
goal, and you'll be better able to maintain your patience and
perseverance for the long haul.
7a. Look in the mirror every
day and say, "I am in charge." You may not have
control over every phase of your life, but you have more control
than you realize. You are responsible for your own happiness
and success. As I like to say, your attitude determines your
altitude!
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Mackay's Moral: |
You can turn "down and out"
into "up and at 'em." |
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