A few weeks ago, many of us made New Year’s resolutions. How are you doing with yours? Research shows that around this time in January, most people have forgotten or broken their resolutions. If that’s the case for you, don’t be too hard on yourself. Change is never as easy as it seems, and mistakes are part of the equation. As a matter of fact, I’m hoping you’ll switch from resolutions about things you’ll do to making a commitment to try some new things you’re interested in developing, understanding, or exploring.
The Dr. Suess book, Oh, the Places You’ll Go!, has become not only a children’s classic but a favorite graduation gift for students starting out into their careers and lives. Its clever rhymes about navigating the uncharted waters of life remind us that, while there is wisdom in being steady and cautious, there is also wisdom in trying new things even when there’s no guarantee of success. And the mistakes you’ll experience will be what fuels new levels of understanding and learning which will exponentially increase your ultimate chances of success.
At LionSpeak, I anticipate lots of mistakes in the first part of our year. We’re creating new on-demand video programs, developing a brand-new community for trainers and managers, trying some new approaches to marketing our services, and, in an effort to do more in less time, trying on a completely new scheduling template for me. I know we will not get it all right. Heck, I don’t even understand how it all works yet so I know there will be a steep learning curve on a lot of it. But I’ve committed to seeing the mistakes and missteps along the way as good signs of healthy growth because if we’re not making some mistakes, we are definitely not trying new things and figuring out better and better ways to serve our clients and bring our message to the world.
So, this week, create a new and better definition for yourself around mistakes. See them as positive signs of change and growth. And remember the words of Dr. Suess…
You’re off to Great Places! Today is your day!
Your mountain is waiting. So, get on your way!”
“I hope that in this year to come, you make mistakes. Because if you are making mistakes, then you are making new things, trying new things, learning, living, pushing yourself, changing yourself, changing your world.”
~ Neil Gaiman
Comments
Dr. Suess books are a lot deeper than they appear. Horton Hears a Who to me is a story about our place in the universe. Yes, we will all make mistakes. The question is how we deal with them. If you can see them as an opportunity to improve rather than a failure you will be more successful in business and in life.
I agree about Horton Hears a Who! We just watched that with Tom’s grandson over Christmas and commented about that very fact. And, yes, our success is not in being perfect but in our ability to learn from the mistakes we make.
This is wonderful! I’m printing it off as a reminder to myself. This has really hit home. Especially in my personal like right now. Thank you!
Oh I’m glad you found it so helpful, Teresa! Thanks for writing to tell us so.