Failing Forward is the story of my life.  

I am very proud of my failures!  I followed my passions, thought outside the box, attempted greatness and forged my own path.  I decided to make each of my failed attempts mean that I am tenacious, persistent, stout hearted, and most importantly willing to fail.  I have learned the secret by developing a “YES” mindset.  

Friends, I have an impressive collection of business cards to prove it! I enthusiastically approached each business attempt with an attitude of, “this might work, what the hell!”  Some business ventures stung more than others when I let them go.  

The lessons I earned was worth every heart ache!

Failure is simply of mental constraint

YOU decide what failure is by the meaning YOU assign it in your life.  One person’s failure is another person’s success.  A student given the grade of C considers the grade a failure or a complete victory, depending on the student.  Yearly earnings of $100,000 is a failure to one small business owner, and a unimaginable success to another small business owner.   

The subconscious mind is a sneaky, over-protective part of our human experience.  Some people refer to the subconscious as the lizard brain, the resistance, or the protective personality.  Throughout our life, this protective personality creates stories hidden in our subconscious to protect us from danger.  Most people aren’t even aware of the thoughts or stories they are using to avoid failure.  

Learning to fail forward is a skill that involves managing thoughts and intentions! 

Will you say “YES” to failure?

“I no longer remember what the question is.  I do know the answer is yes.”  Seth Godin

If you refuse to accept failure as a part of the journey, you will not likely succeed.  If you are willing to take every thought captive and create intentions; you will be ready to face any failure on your journey to success.  I refer to this challenge as developing a “YES: mindset.  

Create a Failure Plan

Here are just a few helpful ways to manage mental constraints around failure.  

1. Define success.   Answer the questions, “I know I’m successful when…”  List 5 to 10 things that when you do them you will know you are being successful.  I actually never even considered this exercise until last year.  I love the key word “being.”  
2. Define failures (yes, I used plural).  Not as much fun, but very important.  
3. Decide how to solve the failures ahead of time.  How will you feel when the worst thing happens?  How will you address it?  Making a plan for the worst case scenarios gives you confidence and helps you avoid the mind drama that will slow down creativity!  
4. Why are you pursuing this venture?  Define the commitment you have to your definition of success.  A compelling reason will keep you going forward when set backs happen.  
5. What are common excuses you have to avoid failing?  
6. What is a believable thought you can practice to feel courage on purpose?

Hiring a life coach is another fantastic choice in developing a “YES” mindset.  I would love to help you identify the thoughts that are  hijacking your success.  Create a mindset that makes it!

Can you identify the failures that shaped you?  Are you proud of them too?  I am.  The failures mean we faced a fear and attempted greatness.  Let me encourage you to keep going.  The absolute worst thing you can do is allow failure to hold you back in any area of your life!

~Tiffany

And the birds fluttered around her writing “YES” in the sky!