What is it you really want in life? No matter what you choose, obstacles are part of the journey. You have an opportunity to leverage your experiences of defeat and utilize these moments to increase your learning mindset. The circumstances for personal growth depend on your attitude and choice about failure. [Read more…] about Leveraging Failure to Propel You Toward Growth
Failure
When you fail, fail forward
How do you learn from your mistakes? How do you fail forward?
What helps you grow from failure?
Failure. Mistakes. Errors. No one is exempt from failure. Everyone makes mistakes. The notion of a perfect human being is a misnomer. Fact: failure happens – to all of us. We all make mistakes. How we learn from them makes the difference in life.
A mistake tells you there’s something else you need to learn. Something more needs improving.
Don’t Practice Errors
Several years ago while studying classical guitar, my instructor would continually coach me in a mantra-like cadence, “Do not practice mistakes.” He stressed that practice makes permanent, so don’t practice errors. Whenever and wherever you make a mistake, stop and then work through the measure or section. Practice slowly at first until you can play through the interval flawlessly. Then practice at tempo. Again, once you can play through the section error-free, then you can go on to the next measure. My instructor’s advice stays with me.
His other advice that sticks with me is to learn a piece of music by starting at the end, the last measure, then work your way back to the beginning. When you make a mistake, stop. Then take the time to learn where and why you made the error in the music. Practice slowly, going over the fingering of each note and practice the section until it is error-free. Then practice at tempo with no mistakes before moving back to the next measure. Repeat this until you reach the beginning, and then play the piece forward to the end. My instructor mentioned this technique is also an excellent way to memorize the music. His point: Learn from the mistake. Understand why you made the error. Slow down. Practice with purpose to improve. Fail forward.
No Mistakes, Only Great Recoveries
With humans, there is no such thing as perfection. (Full disclosure: I am a recovering perfectionist). On the weekends, I direct a volunteer Gospel Choir. One of my mantras I tell them about singing and playing is, “There are no mistakes, only great recoveries.” I learned this kernel of wisdom from one of my theology professors during graduate school for my Masters of Divinity. During a class on worship and ritual, she used that phrase often to remind us that mistakes happen. We are not perfect, and there is no such thing as flawless worship. She stressed that it is essential to keep moving forward in the liturgical ritual and not let your mistakes be a distraction to other people’s praying. In other words, don’t telegraph your mistakes. Recover quickly, and keep moving forward.
Fail Forward
Fall forward. This advice came from my oldest brother, Tom. He was always about a growth mindset, having a positive attitude, and learning from your mistakes. He reminded me that progress happens in the learning and the constant moving forward toward your objective or goal. Failure will occur again, and you may go back now and then. The essential point is to keep learning and growing. Let your mistakes propel you toward improvement.
In the last year of his life, during his battle with lung cancer, he shared the following insights with my family and me:
Fail and fall forward toward getting better. Failure is inevitable. Learning from the mistake is optional. Deciding to grow and get better is up to each one of us. Choose to fail forward in life.
How does failure propel you toward personal growth?
What have you learned about yourself from past failures?
I welcome your comments.
Gratitude and appreciation to my classical guitar instructor, Steven Novacek, on the concept of not practicing errors; to my theology professor, Sister Kathleen Hughes, RSCJ, on the wisdom of no mistakes, only great recoveries; and in memory of my brother, Charles Thomas Pyles, Jr., whose spirit keeps encouraging me toward living fully as my best self, even with all my flaws.
How Good Do You Want to Be? Life Advice from Paul Arden
It’s Not How Good You Are, It’s How Good You Want To Be by Paul Arden.
The creative advertising director, Paul Arden, offers a simple guide to making the most of who you are. I appreciate the life advice that is relevant for anyone who is committed to excellence. The notes I have taken below resonates with my drive for excellence beyond mediocrity.
Your vision of where or who you want to be is the greatest asset you have. Paul Arden
Be a Rebel Against Mediocrity
- Become whoever you want to be
- Aim beyond what you are capable of being
- Being a rebel creates excitement in life
- Continually strive to be better than you are
- Keep asking, “how can I make this better?”
- Accept responsibility for what you do; no excuses
- Do not covet your ideas – give away everything you know and more will come back to you
- Ideas are open knowledge – freely share them
- Make the best of what is on your desk right now
- How you perceive yourself is how others will see you
- Change your tools to free your thinking and get a better perspective
- Point is we are all selling – it is a part of life
- Creativity is imagination and imagination is for everyone
- Failure is an opportunity for learning
[Read more…] about How Good Do You Want to Be? Life Advice from Paul Arden
Advice for Everyone Seeking Personal Growth and Impact…from Girl Code: Unlocking the Secrets to Success
Although this book is geared toward women entrepreneurs, the advice is really tailored to anyone seeking to make a positive impact in the world. I only identify with one of the categories – female. I am not an entrepreneur. Nonetheless, here’s the best advice I found worth noting from the book.
Kernels of Wisdom for All
- Change your mindset to positive thoughts that drive toward success
- Connect with others on a raw, honest level
- Re-connect with your “why”
- Empower others to live their best lives
15 Tips to Inspire Personal Growth from #Girlboss by Sophia Amoruso
Where do you go to find insights that inspire personal growth? What helps you foster a learning mindset?
#Girlboss is part memoir and part entrepreneurial advice from Sophia Amoruso, who at the age of 22, founded her first company. She writes with a raw honesty that makes for a refreshing read. My initial intent in reading this book was to find tips for being an entrepreneur from someone who has been there. Instead, I discovered more inspiring advice on personal growth than suggestions for developing entrepreneurial skills.
[Read more…] about 15 Tips to Inspire Personal Growth from #Girlboss by Sophia Amoruso
Recent Comments