Stop Looking For Failure!

Stop Looking For Failure!

©2016 Scott D. Wilson, P.Eng.

"Stop looking for excuses to fail and start finding reasons to succeed!" —Scott D. Wilson

When I coined the above quote I went online to see if others had said something similar. Unsurprisingly, many have said several variations of this statement. This version is uniquely mine. This statement applies to every worthy endeavour in life from weight loss to career success. Everywhere I go I see people finding excuses and reasons to give up on themselves and their dreams. They find great justifications to start a worthwhile venture. They overcome their fears about starting and then they start moving towards their goals. Finally, obstacles are encountered and progress slows.

This is where people split. Some buckle down. They had expected and anticipated this situation. They knew there would be roadblocks and detours. But they also know that the goal is worth reaching. They know that they will succeed as long as they do not quit. They change course, they alter their plans and they keep moving forward. They never truly lose sight of the goal and their reasons for achieving it. Do they struggle? Yes! Do they get frustrated? Yes! Do they doubt themselves? Sure! They may even feel like quitting but they would rather be thrown out of the game than abandon it altogether!

The other folks start looking for excuses to quit. Genetics, upbringing, luck, fortune, fate, you name it and they will find some way to use it as an excuse for giving up. They want any reason to soothe their ego and give them a viable explanation for abandoning their efforts. It is as if they expected the entire universe to immediately align with their attempt and harmonize in the delivery of their results. When this does not happen right away then it is clear to them that it is simply not meant to be. The universe has conspired to make them a victim again. The truth is that they have become a victim to their own unrealistic expectations.

What's the fundamental difference between these two groups of people? I believe the most important aspect was the focus of their attention. The first group is looking for all the evidence for their success. It is not that they believe in themselves more; they suffer the same doubts. It is instead that they have chosen to anticipate their ultimate success rather than envisioning their downfall. They are actively choosing hope over desperation. They tenaciously hold onto the possibility of success.

Our minds are incredible tools. They tend to discover that which they earnestly seek. Man sought for thousands of years to fly. Our entire history is rife with our failed attempts. Today, there are tens of thousands of people in the air as I write these words. It was a dream that we all craved and our creative minds eventually delivered. Individually we are similar. What we focus on we will find or manifest. No matter how noble our beginnings if we look for failure then we will find it.

So our approach to our goals plays a big role in our ability to deliver them. If we are willing to entertain emotions and thoughts of doubt then our minds will obligingly start coming up with excuses. Immediately when we find ourselves considering the idea of failure it is in that moment that we need to redirect our minds and start thinking about all the reasons why we should be succeeding. We haven't go a hope of success when we start looking for failure.

“Many of life's failures are people who did not realize how close they were to success when they gave up.” ― Thomas A. Edison

"Our greatest weakness lies in giving up. The most certain way to succeed is always to try just one more time." ― Thomas A. Edison