As I see it, there are two ways to look at failure-
As failure
OR
As the road that leads to success
I don’t know about you, but if I look at every mistake I make, and for that matter every mistake my children make, as failures, I would be living a pretty doom and gloom life. I would not be a very pleasant person to be around and I certainly would not be patient and understanding with my kids when they make a mistake!
Now let me be clear- It’s not that I like failure or that I like to make mistakes but since failing and making mistakes is inevitable, I have made a very conscious decision to look at my mistakes and those of my children, as a stepping stone to success; as an opportunity to learn, to grow and to become more resilient. I want us all to be prepared for when life throws curve balls our way. I want my kids to know they can pick themselves up, dust themselves off and get going again.
Changing your thinking, or as I like to say, your self-talk, around mistakes and failure takes courage, desire, and the willingness to take a deep breath and look forward. YOU WILL BE SO GLAD YOU DID!
Want to know my secret that helps me to get through the embarrassment, the frustration and the pain of mistakes?
Mantras!
I have two that I tell myself when the going gets tough:
-“There is a silver lining in every cloud”
-“THIS, too, will make me (or my kids) a stronger, better, wiser person”
Seriously, without having these mantras to say to myself and more importantly to believe in, I would give up, lose confidence in my abilities, in my kids abilities and certainly not be willing to take more risks- like sending out another e-mail to you with functioning links included! :/
And if it were my kids, I would probably show my frustration, get angry, and then try to FIX the problem- EEEKS! What message would that send? Certainly not the one I WANT to send or one that will help my children to learn. (And yes, of course I have done this- but I TRY valiantly not to!)
So how do you view mistakes? For yourself? For your children?
What messages do you send to your children when they make a mistake?
What do you model when YOU are the one to make a mistake?
What are your children learning about mistakes?
If you are not sure of these answers, how can you find out?
HINT: ASK!
Hit reply and I would love to hear your thoughts on this!
I hope your Labor Day weekend was wonderful!
