Visualize success. Visualize done. Keep your mindset focused on your vision. Ignore naysayers, the biggest one being yourself—yes, you—at all costs. Transform the impossible into the possible.
You get the gist. I’m a huge believer in the power of positivity and the hidden magic within each individual, the untapped potential that scares our reality.
However, when I come across a blog post or article stating almost exactly what I’ve written above, my inner fire is often ignited by rage.
Why do I get so upset by something I believe?
This question has plagued me for some time. Recently, I had a light bulb moment and figured out the key ingredient igniting my inner fire.
The way we typically define success when it comes to a goal or dream is through an all-or-nothing perspective. You either achieve the success or you fail to achieve the success. There is very little thinking about moderate success*.
Personally, I have dreamed big, succeeded big, and failed big. Whenever I dreamed big, I didn’t entertain the possibility of failing big. Without any safety net, whenever I failed to achieve the success I defined at the outset, I fell hard. Not only did my ego suffer, but also my ability to dream. I didn’t understand the concept of moderate success and creating a safety net for less than perfect outcomes.
Before beginning, prepare carefully. —Marcus Tullius Cicero
Whenever I read about achieving success, I discredit any post or article that doesn’t contain a disclaimer or little warning for what to do if you do all of the steps for success perfectly and the success you visualized doesn’t come to fruition. When talking about success in terms of the little stuff, it’s okay to neglect creating a safety net if you trip. However, when mountain climbing (i.e., dreaming and scheming big time), it’s critical to create that net beforehand or at least know before passing go that it’s going to be one rough fall without a net in place.
So please, dear super dreamers, dream big and visualize yourself at the finish line of success, but do so with caution for your gentle soul. Falling is painful, especially when you don’t even account for the possibility of falling.
Tips for Redefining Success
- Define success using your own metric (not one created by someone else/measured by someone else).
- Acknowledge the spectrum of possibilities (from really bad to really amazing). Think about the worst-case scenario and the oh my gosh (bigger than your wildest dreams) scenario.
- How would you feel in each situation? How would you deal with each situation? What safety nets can you create for yourself?
- Visualize yourself as a success—separately from this dream. Get comfy with this vision before going after dreams/goals that exist in the periphery of your life.
*moderate success: achieving something between “pass” or “fail” (i.e., getting points for putting yourself out there, trying your best, and moving forward—regardless of how far forward is defined) [as defined by carolyn]
image: hairbrained schemes
{ 3 comments… read them below or add one }
Wow – great insight. I have perfectionist tendencies and thus am particularly vulnerable to the “all or nothing” success mentality. Currently I’m trying to see my present projects as “successes in progress” – I may or may not achieve everything I hope to with them, but however far I get, the lessons learned and personal growth will be successes in and of themselves.
These are great tips!
Thank you. This is just what I needed!