“Success is not final, failure is not fatal: it is the courage to continue that counts.” – Winston Churchill.
Are you playing it safe?
Do you have big dreams, yet you find yourself playing small?
What if you could not fail? What if it is your definition of failure that is preventing you from going after your dreams?
One of the most liberating and empowering mindset shifts occurred when I redefined success and wrote a new definition of failure.
Watch my interview with the co-founder and publisher of Soulful Image Magazine, Tracey Acadia Thomas. Learn the secret to setting life-changing goals without the fear of failure.
For many, setting goals has lost its value. It is associated with frustration, disappointment and a reminder of all the times they have failed. To become inspired to set any goal, we must first redefine failure and success.
What is Failure?
Failure is an inevitable part of life. However, for many of us, failure is a negative concept. To embrace failure, we must first reframe failure. Merriam Webster dictionary defines failure as the absence of success. Unfortunately, most people will interpret the absence of success as a definer of who they are. Consider that your inability to hit a target or perform a task is your access to success. Within your failing exist lessons that will get you closer to where you want to go. How you choose to perceive failure is what determines if missing your target becomes an opportunity. When you are willing to frame failure through a growth mindset, it becomes an opportunity to learn, grow and expand. To fail becomes necessary for change and learning to occur. The key is to move past the disappointment by committing to finding the lesson hidden in the moments where you experience an absence of success.
What is Success?
To many, success is as winning or achieving a goal. We are socialized to believe it’s a winner-take-all world. As a result, we see people hungry for success chase their goals at the expense of their health, relationships and happiness. They may achieve their goals but are they successful?
In Mathew 16:26 NIV it says, “What good is it for someone to gain the whole world, yet forfeit their soul?” Considering success is more about the journey than the outcome. It is integrity; the self-worth, confidence and personal power developed when we choose to find the courage and strength to honor our word. Success is an experience; it is to persist, to learn and follow through. Success is who we have the opportunity to become. It is showing up, attempting to move forward and being open to growth.
I invite you to dream big, redefine success and act like you can not fail!