If you are like most people, you are afraid to fail. Seriously, how many of us wake up in the morning, look out the window and say, “today looks like a great day to fail at something!”? But the truth is many of us experience failures in life, some of us again and again. Tony Morgan posted a blog last week highlighting several things that cause failure, and I thought I would share because there are many of us that cannot figure out why we are failing at things, and we could use a check-list to clarify the problems. Here are Tony’s top ten reasons for failure…
10 Reasons Why You’re Probably Going to Fail
1. It’s not your passion. If it doesn’t make your heart beat fast or cause your mind to race when you’re trying to sleep, you’re probably doing the wrong thing.
2. You don’t have a plan. You need a vision, and you need to identify specific steps to make that vision become reality. That includes a financial plan. (I happen to believe you need direction from God on this.)
3. You’re waiting for it to be perfect. Test-drive it. Beta-test that new idea. You’ll fall into the trap of inaction if you think it has to be absolutely right from day one.
4. You’re not willing to work hard. Everything worth pursuing in my life has involved discipline and perseverance.
5. It’ll outgrow you. Keep learning. Keep growing. But more importantly, build a team of people including leaders that can be who you’re not.
6. You’ve had success in the past. I’ve watched organizations hang on to a good idea for too long. Time passes. Momentum fades. It’s risky to let go of the past and jump on the next wave.
7. You’re unwilling to stop doing something else. Complexity is easy. Simplicity takes discipline. You can’t build a healthy marriage if you’re unwilling to give up dating other women. Who/what do you need to stop dating?
8. You won’t build a team of friends. Anyone can hire from a resume. You need to find people you want to share life with. In the long run, great relationships will get you out of bed in the morning.
9. You won’t have the tough conversations. When breakdown happens (and it always does), someone needs to put on their big-boy pants and initiate the difficult conversation that leads to relational healing.
10. You’re afraid of failure. When fear consumes you, it will cause you to do stupid things. You’ll let negativity distract you. You’ll embrace the known, and grow comfortable with mediocrity. The more often you fail, though, the more often you’ll find success.
Failure is how we learn and grow. If we stop failing all together it probably means we are stagnant and not attempting anything new. You cannot expect to be perfect or even excellent at anything new to you, so take the risk, follow these rules, and embrace #10 – don’t become mediocre. But if you find yourself stuck in a pattern of less than optimal results, explore these statements, bring someone into your inner circle that can be honest with you regarding these principles, and make the changes you need to make to break through and learn from failure.
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