Let's Reserve the Right to Get Smarter

Failures can knock us down. The cliché response is, “it’s not how many times you get knocked down that count, it’s how many times you get back up.” And of course, there is truth to this quote attributed to many great leaders over the years. However, there is a next step after getting back up. What do we do when we get back up? Do we try the same thing? Do we just simply try harder? Do we move onto refocus our attention onto something else and postpone trying again?

We have to do something with our failures. We have to learn from them.

We have to reserve the right to get smarter.

In order to put that into practice, we first must acknowledge our failure. Own it. Know that it is okay – personally and professionally – to fail. It is natural. We have to face the difficult truth that something we tried did not succeed. If we cannot admit fault, then we cannot learn from it.

When we apply continual effort toward a goal, we develop habits. And we must have the right attitude to develop accountability. We must continue to keep the promise to ourselves and persevere. It is a process. And the process breaks down when we allow failure to derail our attitude. When we get knocked down, we can typically make ourselves get back up, but knowing that we reserve the right to get smarter provides us the pathway and motivation to start moving again.

We can learn from a broken relationship … a declined sales pitch … an abandoned exercise routine. We are in control. Not our circumstances or outside forces. We are accountable for our effort to improve ourselves in all areas of our life. As human beings, we are never a completed project. So we keep moving, growing, and developing. Because we have a choice. Life doesn’t get better by chance, it gets better by change. So, let’s reserve the right to get smarter, AND let’s exercise that right.

So where can you start? DREAM4 offers executive coaching and personal mentoring services to provide accountability and create habits that can help you and your team work smarter in achieving your goals.