Embracing the unknown is where the opportunities for endless growth and development lie. However, many of us find reasons to hold ourselves back from trying new ideas or thoughts due to fear of making mistakes. By not giving ourselves permission to try something new, and potentially making an error, we lose the opportunity to understand both positive and negative learning, vital for achieving our ultimate goals.
If an outcome from doing something new is negative, it’s realising it’s about accepting feedback, which turns into an opportunity to learn and grow. Kevin Blanchard, author of One Minute Manager and management expert says, ‘Feedback is the breakfast of champions.’ Even the most successful people like Bill Gates and Richard Branson have made what might be seen as mistakes, but they also view them as invaluable feedback. They learn what to avoid, what not to do, and narrow down the possibilities to use next time. Or they discover brilliant new opportunities in the process.
Thomas Edison failed over 10,000 times before creating the light bulb. He saw what others would call failed attempts as more than 10,000 possibilities of refining and narrowing his search for a solution. Christopher Columbus failed on his mission to navigate his way to India, but instead, he discovered America. Successful people know taking educated risks and embracing the unknown will possibly not get the results they wanted, but in the act of doing so, they will potentially grow and prosper.
In fact, experts say there is no such thing as failure only feedback. Imagine reframing what was perceived as a mistake to; ‘there is only learning and growth from positive and negative feedback, which puts us on the ultimate path to success.’ So when you perceive you’ve failed at something, consider the following:
- Recognize you might make errors when trying new possibilities carried out with the best intention.
- Acceptance of responsibility for making mistakes makes learning possible.
- You can’t change mistakes, but you can respond by assessing what worked, what didn’t and how you could approach it differently next time.
- Growth occurs when you see opportunity for improvement and take action to create change for the better
Theodore Roosevelt, former US president said that it’s not the critic that counts, who points out another’s failings. He says credit belongs to the person who puts in the effort, who may fail over and over again, but all their devotion and energy goes towards a worthy cause with great enthusiasm. And if they fail, they do it while they are daring to be courageous and can never be in the ‘camp of the timid’ who neither know victory or defeat. By taking action in the areas of the unknown and learning from our mistakes, we gain knowledge and potentially become aware of new opportunities.
Remember, you have the power to change the results you are getting in your life. It’s all up to you to take ownership of your thoughts and actions to achieve your desired results.
Tags: certainty, challenge, change, Comfort zone, courage, development, empowerment, fear, fulfilment, growth, leadership, learning, personal growth, safe, safety, success, transformation, uncertainty
