3 WAYS TO BOUNCE BACK AFTER FAILURE
Happy Tuesday that feels suspiciously like a Monday.
We talk a lot about risk taking here at Outsider, but we can't talk about risk if we're not brave enough to broach the subject of failure! Hmmhmm, most specifically how failure stings but it's absolutely not the end of the world.
From small embarrassments to HUGE, life altering failures, C.J. and I have experienced so much in this area of life I would dare to say we could be classified as experts in this field! What we know after receiving our P.H.d's in failure is that we can't subscribe to a life of risk, love and adventure and never fall on our faces. The key though, is to actively choose to allow failures, big and small, to help us grow, mature and improve. So, today! We have the top 3 things that have helped us come bounce back after failure! Ready? Here we go!
1) REMEMBER WHAT YOU DO IS NOT WHO YOU ARE. Hmmhmm....Don't scroll past this one!!! Let this sink in. You are not your successes and you're sure as heck not your failures! YOU are NOT what you DO! Detaching our identity from our actions is key to a healthy recovery! Yes, who we are influences what we do and how we show up, but they are separate entities. YOU MUST intentionally find out who you are apart from what you do as a career, as a parent or partner, as a volunteer or friend! Once you can identify that person, it will be easier to separate yourself from the "failure" so annoying and sometimes debilitating things like guilt, shame and self hatred won't accompany you on your next adventure!
2) CHOOSE TO FACE THE UGLY. So you tried something and it didn't turn out how you thought. Maybe it left you feeling exposed and embarrassed. Take a quick moment to feel those feelings and then ditch them because what you just went through is GOLD!!! GOOOOOOLLLLLLD I tell ya!! You now have a framework for what not to do again, but wait there's more. Take some time to think about what you learned. Make a bullet point list and keep it somewhere handy to refer back to. It could be small logistics and it could be huge personal lessons that are humbling to learn but so helpful in knowing how to love forward. We miss out on so much when we're too embarrassed or afraid to take an honest look at what went wrong.
3) MAKE ANOTHER MOVE, QUICKLY. Don't waste time licking your wounds or hiding in shame! If "failure" is not who you are and you've been honest about what went wrong, why would you wait to make your next move?? Your next move could be planning your pivot, it could be an actual step forward, or it might be asking for help... whatever it is - DON'T WAIT!!! The longer you wait after a set back the more time you will have to build a case against yourself. You'll be tempted to let the negative words in your head win and you will never experience the glory of pushing through and seeing your idea to the end!!!
Today we are challenging you to think about the last time you failed and apply these three tips to that failure!!! The world needs your ideas! We need you to be an active participant in your life and to follow through on your dreams. If we've learned anything from the chaos going on around us, it's that there's no time for "Someday"... Someday is today and our time to take action is now!
Here's to embracing our inner Outsider and just going for it!! Your failures have made you better!! We promise!
We love you and we're cheering you on!!
C.J. & Lindsay
Outsiders For Life
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