There’s rarely a failure that doesn’t leave a mark.

These marks are inevitable when you’re trying something new or taking a chance to gain experience or reach a new goal.

A fulfilled life is an exciting life that with great achievements does not come without the pain of failures. Ask anyone who has achieved great things. But that’s what makes an extraordinary journey so extraordinary. If life were so easy and smooth without the bumps on the road, without the tough times, it wouldn’t be the incredible adventure, the exciting journey, that so many successful and happy people experience.

So what are the tricks to bouncing back from unexpected failure?

How do you go on and still chase your dreams without becoming bitter and moving back into the safe zone?

According to highly successful people like Richard Branson,

“The ability to bounce back after a setback is the single most important trait an entrepreneurial venture can posses.”

It’s called resilience and I run a workshop on that very topic, specifically designed for senior executives.

Via BsuOutreach.com

1. Rediscover your why

Deep convictions are born from emotional motivators, not practical or logical ones. In society today, emotional convictions are just much harder to justify than logical ones, and more often than not we tend to push aside the emotional factors that guide us and motivate us toward our goals.

It is not uncommon to lose sight of the very motivator or goal that drove us into chasing our dreams in the first place. Fear of being hurt is one of the greatest de-motivators when we experience setbacks.

Losing sight of the emotional connection to the goal eliminates the personal journey, and therefore eliminates the strength in our conviction to reach it. In cases such as this, it’s important to REDISCOVER WHY we are changing that goal in the first place. Sometimes we have to realign with the WHY and the emotional need to keep the motivation going.

2. Flood your subconscious mind with a positive perspective

The power in training your mind to value a different set of rules from what you learned growing up has significant motivating elements that are ESSENTIAL for success. This is particularly important to those who were brought up in an environment where acceptance of status quo was prevalent.

We have to combat our culture, because when times get tough, and fatigue sets in, we will take the easy path that our comfort zone offers.

Belief is the ultimate motivator towards success, PERIOD. Because whether you think you can or you think you can’t, you’re right.

Developing the mental resources that tell you you can, will not just help you, but convince you on a daily basis to believe in yourself.

3. Face your fears

Fear is to focus on the shadows, rather than what is standing in the light.

The interesting thing about fears is that they are rarely as bad as they seem when you stare directly into the reality. They are enlarged by the unknown and by the story that we tell ourselves.

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The biggest issue is when your fear becomes so big that it stops you from moving forward and prevents you from true happiness. When the fear and avoidance allow you to make excuses for ‘why’, you can’t move forward. Evaluating the validity of your fears is essential to happiness and progressing towards your dreams.

Don’t push your fears aside and let them whittle down your dreams. Work at approaching them head on and pushing through them so they don’t stand between you and your happiness and goals. This will give you a better perspective and healthier outlook to make decisions that are not based on fear, but are grounded in reality.

4. Focus forward not backward

Even when your mind is playing tricks on you and you can’t see the end goal, trust your previous instincts and just keep focussing forward. Work through the steps, despite the angst it might initially cause you, keep your attention in front of you when you are experiencing fearful emotions and hold on to your initial belief. Eliminating self doubt is key to being rewarded for all your efforts. By using the method of focusing your vision forward and consciously NOT looking backwards, you will see new doors opening up for you. This will also expand your mind to the perspective of opportunity. That is, allowing every experience, good or bad, to become both a lesson, and a new opportunity.

Living with failure can be hard. It can really leave scars if you allow it to. But if you can see the opportunities it will become your journey of challenge and not your road of nightmare. Open your mind up to allow your challenges to become the very thing you’ll ponder on and share with others, when you’re wondering how you got so lucky as to be where you are.

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