Did you have help?
Then say so.
Was it completed by someone else?
Redirect the praise.
Are you the messenger?
Pass on the commendation.
For the work done.
For the hours put in.
For the creative approach.
For the effort.
For the great result.
Give credit where it is due.
You will make a wrong decision at times.
The queue that ends up being slower.
A dud movie selection.
A bad lunch choice.
Wearing something unsuitable for the weather.
Coffee instead of tea.
Turning left too early.
These are small decisions.
These are easy to handle and over quickly.
There are bigger decisions.
Studying towards a qualification that just isn’t right.
Selecting a dishonest business partner.
Making a poor investment.
Getting married to the wrong one.
Breaking up with the right one.
Being stuck in a job you hate.
A small decision is fleeting if wrong.
A wrong big decision will last as long as you let it.
What could you really go without if you had to?
Do you really need…
…another coffee?
…that app?
…to watch another episode?
…another pair of [blank]?
…a second helping?
…all that choice?
…to look at Facebook again?
…another drink?
…the latest gadget?
Those are just the little things.
There are bigger things that can be taken for granted.
Running water.
Power.
Wifi.
Air-conditioning.
Television.
The internet.
Smart phones.
What could you go without?
(Inspired by the last week of a working trip to Mozambique, Africa.)
You would have liked a little more time.
It’s not completed yet.
You could have made some additions.
It’s missing some finesse.
You had to adapt and amend.
It’s not totally finished.
There was a setback or several.
It will never truly be done.
But…you still have to deliver.
So now go with what you’ve got.
Someone might do it differently to you.
And that’s okay.
They may get the same result (or better) with a different method.
And that’s okay.
We don’t necessarily all approach a task in the same way.
And that’s okay.
Because isn’t it more about the result?
(Inspired by my current work trip to Mozambique, Africa. Where things get done differently.)
There is too much to do.
It is piling up in front of you.
Everything is a priority.
There is stress and overwhelm.
It is not clear what to do next.
But when there is too much to do.
You can only do one thing at a time.
So pick one thing and start there.
It’s never the right time…
…to go on a trip.
…to be away.
…for work to do that.
…for family to do this.
…to start a project.
…to leave the project.
…for people to come over.
…to go out.
…to finish later.
…to leave early.
…to start.
…to stop.
So don’t wait.
It will never be the right time.
You can learn from experience.
Sure.
You will make mistakes.
Work it out eventually.
Find out what not to do.
Incrementally get better.
Or you can learn from the experience of others.
Experience that has gone before you.
They have made the mistakes.
They know what to point out.
They can pass on the knacks.
Learning can be accelerated.
Sure, you can learn from experience…or…you can learn from the experienced!
“Is there anyone so wise as to learn by the experience of others?” – Voltaire
Okay…so you failed.
What can you take away from the failure?
Where is the success within the failure?
The learning of something new.
The creation of a new process.
The expansion of your network.
The accumulation of knowledge.
The development of a new skill.
The refinement of an existing skill.
The stepping out of your comfort zone.
The gaining of expertise.
The building of resilience.
The inspiration for another idea.
You may not have achieved the result you were after.
But you can still achieve a positive result.
Dissect the failure for successes within.
Your decisions have got you to here.
The various dots and connections.
Your dots connect to create the current picture that is you.
The decisions made.
The actions taken.
The choices.
The behaviours.
Be they good or bad.
These all form a picture.
A picture of you.
If you’re not liking how the dots connect to form your picture…
…then start creating different dots.