Your ideas won’t work. It’s not worth the risk. You might fail again. If you’ve ever been at the receiving end of these statements, then get ready for these five powerful hacks to help you crush negativity and fear, and welcome bigger wins in life!
Mention success, and we’re often told what we should be doing to achieve it, what targets to hit and when.
But what about the things to ignore instead? I’m talking about the ‘Don’ts’ that are perhaps just as important as the ‘Do’s’ – more specifically, saying ‘Heck!’ to debilitating factors that impede your growth and journey to success:
1) DON’T heed the opinions of naysayers
Worrying excessively about the opinions of others could negatively affect your self-confidence and also prevents you from living to your fullest potential.
In fact, so many of the successful people we know now have had their dreams laughed at or their ideas labelled as being too impractical.
When Walt Disney proposed making Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs an animated feature, the industry was certain it would be a colossal failure, even going so far as to name the undertaking “Disney’s Folly.”
But Disney ploughed ahead, and in 1938, the animated movie – the first of its kind – was introduced to the world. Did ignoring his non-believers pay off? It certainly did! Upon its release, the film raked in $8 million (equivalent to $130 million today!), and bagged Disney an Oscar. Disney then went on to produce 18 more animated films, including classics like Alice in Wonderland, Peter Pan and The Jungle Book.
Disney took ridicule and opposition and threw them out the window. He had enough conviction in his ideas and abilities to not let naysayers distract him from his vision.
Remember, no one should be as invested in your life, work or happiness as YOU. When you block out the noise, you can better focus on your purpose.
2) DON’T worry about the outcome
We often worry about uncertainty.
But it’s when you let yourself be bogged down by unfounded concerns and potential negative outcomes that you miss out on truly enjoying the process. Learning is in the journey, after all, and if the results are all that matter to you, then you’re overlooking opportunities to grow, adapt and discover things about yourself.
Here are 3 effective strategies to quell your worries:
#1 FOCUS ON THE PRESENT
Let go of things that haven’t happened. Fully experience each moment, rather than hurrying to get to the next step. Practising more awareness will help reboot your mind and allow you to react to your surroundings more thoughtfully rather than mechanically. You’ll interpret things better and engage more deeply.
#2 PRACTISE POSITIVE AFFIRMATIONS
Previously, I talked about how my kids and I have a ritual of reciting a list of affirmations every morning to prepare for the day. This simple routine is important because our words and thoughts are incredibly powerful, and choosing positivity removes unhelpful thoughts and challenges negative feelings.
#3 CREATE PROCESS-ORIENTED GOALS
Channel your energies into achieving excellence in the little things to help you reach your milestones. Improve day-to-day practices, routines or processes and you’ll gradually establish consistency and increase productivity. By focusing on the process and building habits of success, the outcome takes care of itself.
3) DON’T fear failure
Failure – why do we let it consume us, especially if it hasn’t happened at all?
The fault lies in seeing failure as the endgame, as opposed to being part of the game. The sooner we recognise failures are learning curves and not all-out losses, the sooner we’re able to accept it as part of the process and capitalise on our mishaps.
Consider these steps to help you better approach failure and start owning your setbacks.
#1 KNOW THAT IT’S NO BIG DEAL UNLESS YOU ALLOW IT TO BE
Think about it – 40% of businesses fail in their first 3 years. Researchers go through many failed vaccines before making one that works. The Beatles failed to be signed by 5 record companies before eventually becoming the best-selling music group of all time.
Business, medicine, music – failure is just about inevitable in every field and spares no one. Failing at first doesn’t mean that you’ve failed for good. By acknowledging that failure is part and parcel of your own growth journey, you’re a lot less likely to associate your failures with absolute defeats. You get back up and move on.
#2 SEE EACH FAILURE AS A STEPPING STONE
Failed attempts are really opportunities to assess, to get better, and to plan for the future. Many success stories were born out of early failures that were turned into advantage.
So what if you fail? You’re likely to have gleaned insight, found mistakes to eliminate and discovered new possibilities to test. The truth is, we gain more from our failures than our wins. And if you ask me, each time you grow smarter from a failed experience, then you’re already winning.
4) DON’T freeze yourself into inaction
Failure isn’t the only thing we fear. We avoid rejection, instability and uncertainty. We let them stop us from taking steps forward in favour of the safe and comfortable.
But your inertia could do you more harm than good. Let me tell you why:
#1 INACTION ACCELERATES STAGNATION
If you think you’re already doing well, then you have to keep making incremental improvements. This is especially true in the business world, where hungrier, quicker competitors continually innovate to surpass companies held back by inertia.
Take Kodak, for example – the brand invented the first digital camera technology, some 20 years before digital photography actually became mainstream. But in its decision to continue investing in its profitable but declining film division, Kodak passed up on opportunities to iterate, test concepts and establish the required agility to beat its competitors to market.
The cost of Kodak’s inaction? The loss of its technological edge, a struggling pursuit of patent royalties, and a file for bankruptcy in 2012.
The photography pioneer had so much going for it – time, experience and resources, but this all went up in smoke. Which brings me to my next point…
#2 INACTION OPENS DOORS TO…REGRET
Why squander your days doing nothing? Before you know it, time has passed and you’re no closer to reaching your goals. What often comes next is strong regret, where you stress over the should haves and could haves.
Whether you’re an entrepreneur looking to scale your business, or an athlete aiming to break your previous record, know that progress and success happen when you refuse to settle, when you choose to act, and when you see value in testing your limits.
Levelling up is almost always uncomfortable, but necessary. Take some time to reflect on how you’re working towards your goals and make sure that the cost of inaction never outweighs the value of action.
And lastly…
5) DON’T give up
Perseverance is one of the simplest, perhaps underappreciated factors in the success of our endeavours. When faced with challenges, being able to put your head down and keep at it often brings you one, if not all, of the following things:
– The discovery of your true potential
– Knowing that you’re mentally stronger than you think
– A better appreciation of your smaller achievements
Take a leaf out of the books of so many before you who’ve shown that pressing on even when the odds are stacked against you can ultimately bring amazing rewards.
Just think of Sir James Dyson who went through more than 5,000 prototypes and countless rejections before finally developing and marketing the revolutionary Dual Cyclone bagless vacuum cleaner. Or Steven Spielberg who was rejected from the University of Southern California’s film school three times due to his poor grades, and yet went on to become one of Hollywood’s highest-grossing directors. Spielberg, funnily enough, is now a trustee in the same university!
None of us get to where we are in life without some level of grit and determination. Keep going and you’ll soon thank yourself for it.
To your success,
Mario
[Visit www.mariosingh.com now to enjoy a FREE e-book of my latest “37 Essential Principles for Massive Success” when you subscribe!]
