The Magic of Thinking Big - Chapter 11

What excuses have you accepted, or do you give, as reasons for your lack of success?

Most importantly, how to you respond to failure or defeat? Do you silently quit and vow never to embarass yourself like that again? Or do you brush it off, and have yet another go?

Persistence is the way to turn defeat into victory. Getting up again after you've been knocked down is the difference maker.

Your attitude in the face face of defeat determines whether you'll be a winner or a loser in life.

When you face an adversity, step back and study the cause of it, review your decisions and actions. Once you identify the causes, fix those errors in judgment and try again.

"Defeat is only a state of mind," writes the author,

"we can turn setbacks into victories.

Find the lesson, apply it, and then look back on defeat and smile."

Another question, do you accept accountability when things don't go your way or do you assign blame? Accountability gives you control. You did this, therefore you can fix it. Blame may help you feel better for the moment, but it's deceptive. You think you don't have to do anything differently since it wasn't you who caused the error. Because of this, you don't take corrective steps, therefore you keep making the same mistakes again and again. You will never change a situation until you take responsibility.

Now, taking accountability is different from blaming yourself.

Don't beat yourself up and make yourself feel inadequate.

Simply figure out what you did that didn't quite work out the way you had planned, ask yourself what you can do better to correct it now,

or what you can do better next time. Seek areas of improvement.

Make changes where necessary... and then try again.

 Always believe there's a way.

If it doesn't work one way, then I'll try it another way.

And when necessary, step back from a situation,

clear your head, and come back refreshed.

It's often said that people get their best ideas in the shower,

that's because the shower is the one place

where you're not thinking about work or your life problems. 

Give your mind time to breathe - let it work without pressure -

and you will be amazed at the creative solutions it presents.