It's Okay to Fail...

 Failing Your Goals

Failing is something none of us like to do. In fact, failing scares so many of us into submission that we often times refuse to fail by simply not trying.

The chance of failure is always there. We are always one step away from losing total control over what we do. To think that any of us are in total control of our lives is not only ignorant but arrogant as well. However we like to think like this, we like to pretend everything is in perfect control and that unwanted situations can always be avoided. This is what scares us most about failure.

Failure represents the loss of control...

You Need to Set Your Goals Before You Can Fail Anything

How many of you actually set goals for yourself when it comes to your online adventure? How many of you actually write these goals down? On top of that how many of you fail your goals?

Failing Your Goals is One of the Most Beneficial Things For You

In order to properly convey my point and get it to click in your brain like I intended it to I am going to share examples of what I do in terms of setting goals.

What I have learned works for me are 1-day goals. I have my long term goals as well, which I will cover shortly, but my 1-day goals are my most beneficial.

Every night I set a number of goals for the next day. They used to be strictly for online stuff but I have not limited them since I find they are helpful for anything. An excerpt from today's goals written last night is as follows:

1) Pay off remaining bills (student account)

2) Participate in my usual forums

3) Contribute something to betternetworker.com

4) Create ad groups in facebook

5) Launch new catch page for MyGameBusiness on website

6) Make a new video for "Using Youtube Effectively"

7) Impress 50 people online in some way or another

Some of these goals I like to call 'filler' goals. These goals I know I will accomplish such as #1, #2 & #3. It is important to include these goals even though I make them a daily habit most of the time because checking them off feels great.

Some of these goals are things I really want done. Goals #4, #5 & #6 I really need to be done. I have been stressing about these goals and have failed them repeatedly. I have included them in my daily goals for 4 days now and have only accomplished one today. However, failing to meet these daily goals has shown me it is okay to fail sometimes and that the only real failure is neglect. I have learned that as long as my daily goals are on my mind they usually get accomplished. It is only when I disregard something and shove it in the back of my mind that it never gets accomplished.

Now #7 is a goal I like to call "a motivator". It is an outlandish or abstract goal that I know I will not accomplish. It is a goal I know I will fail to complete today.

Why Include Goals You Can't Accomplish?

It isn't that I can't accomplish, rather one I know will not get done in one swoop of effort. I still try my hand at this goal, I still take a stab at it and attempt to finish it. Failing the goal at the end of the day will not bring relief to the first timer. To those of you who are not used to failing, or hold back on things for the fear of failure (I know I used to be like that, still am sometimes) then failing is going to be tough the first few times.

What's important is to pat yourself on the back and say, "It's okay Nathan, everyone fails sometimes..." Acknowledging this failure is the hardest part. You may be tempted to shrug the failure off and shove it in the back of your mind like most but if you learn to confront it, to stare right at this failure and say 'it's okay' is a whole new world.

Confronting failure and realizing it is a real possibility makes you deal with failure differently. When I would fail at something I pretty much casted what ever that was to the side and turned the other way. Failing something now like my daily goals; confronting and analyzing that failure and then  carrying it with me makes taking on new goals and challenges that much easier.

Yes I Can

Sure I can take on this new social networking site. I don't know if I have time for my website today but I'll try. I am not usually good at this but who cares let's do it. The list of new and amazing things I get to say to myself increases every day thanks to failing and learning to deal with this failure.

Don't Be Afraid Of Failure, It's All About How You Deal With It

Failure can turn to fear and fear can dictate your life.

Failure can evolve into self reliance and self reliance is the key to a vigorous life.