If you are like many small business professionals you have been waiting for the New Year so you could reset the clock and leap out of the blocks with a spanking clean slate so you could begin all over. I want to remind you that there is much you can do, but there is more that you can’t change. Your number one priority is to light a fire under your own backside and make certain that you don’t come across looking like you are marketing time between now and hereafter. The rest of the world has to take care of itself.
People are attracted to people who are alive, energetic, and happy—who have ideas and crazy notions about life—who have kind things to say about others. So, if you truly want to be the exception, pick a game…any game…and then get into the game. Become a player…today. Bring your personality and bring your spirit. Bring yourself.
Not Permitting Mistakes
What do you think stops most people from identifying and pursuing what they want to achieve? The answer based on my observations is…fear. Fear of what? Fear of failure or, perhaps it is the fear of making mistakes.
In Seth Godin’s latest book, What to Do When It Is Your Turn, he offers in no uncertain terms, “he who fails the most…wins.” This is not negative thinking but a reminder that your failure is an indication that you’re still playing the game. If you stay playing the game long enough, you will soon have your fair share of victories.
Here’s how you can completely reverse that psychology: Give yourself permission to make mistakes.
I’m not suggesting that you commit flagrant fouls. I’m asking you to allow yourself to experiment and make mistakes that come with trying to stretch beyond your current comfort zone. Mistakes are visible signs that you are trying to do something new.
Here is a corollary: Allowing yourself to make mistakes will actually make you, and your life, more interesting. The words “mistake” and “boring” do not work well together. Mistakes are never boring. Quite the contrary, mistakes can be catalysts for adrenaline surges. Some may be dangerous and others may be stupid. Some mistakes will be costly, while others will be painfully embarrassing. But without exception, they will never be boring. Plus, people are drawn to people who are not afraid to make mistakes. They often find it delightfully amusing when in the company of a person who is not afraid to laugh at themselves.
So stick your neck out now and then. Stretch a little. Make a mistake.