"You failed...
…and it was AWESOME!"
Now that's something you don't hear every day, right?
But you should.
My guess is that right about now you're scratching your head, reading these words with a puzzled look on your face, and wondering if you’re still half-asleep (or hungover?) on this Mindset Monday.
I was recently reminded of a valuable life lesson – a topic that is super important to me – one that can (and should) be applied to all our lives on both a personal and professional level.
Truth be told, this reminder has allowed my mind to be a little more focused… A little more prepared to face whatever challenges come my way...
And (most importantly) I'm now more willing than ever to forgive myself for the mistakes I've made in the past. And I'm more ready than ever to learn from those mistakes and grow from them – thanks to two guys you may know.
What do Rocky Balboa and Lewis Robinson Have in Common?
Before we go any further with this lesson, I'd like you to watch two short (yet profound) videos.
Here, I’ll set the stage:
The first video is a YouTube clip from the final Rocky movie, in which the Italian Stallion gives a pep talk to his son about (i) life's challenges and (ii) how learning from past mistakes is what makes you a true winner.
The second video is a YouTube clip from an adorable movie called Meet the Robinsons. Yes, I'm still a kid at heart who loves Disney movies – especially those with warm and fuzzy messages, or super hot mermaids. (Shhh, don't tell my wife. She has red hair, too!)
So take a few minutes to check-out the videos below, for both Rocky and Meet the Robinsons. Go ahead. I’m happy to wait, because I think you'll quickly see what I'm talking about – and where I'm going with all of this ...
Keep Moving Forward
Three simple words. That’s all it takes to sum up the message and lessons from these movies. Three simple yet powerful words by which to live – Keep Moving Forward.
Here’s the deal…
We’ve all had times (many times) when we wish for a Dummies Guide to Life, in order to help guide us through tough times and difficult decisions. But if there was such a book to tell us what to do – or if some talkative soothsayer was always giving us the answers for every step we took – life would be boring, and what the heck would we ever learn?
How could we have the special joy of teaching our kids about important life lessons, without speaking firsthand from genuine personal experience?
Life is about making mistakes. The key is knowing what to take away from those mistakes, so we can grow as people – and as professionals.
Some Key Lessons
So take this motto (“Keep Moving Forward”) and apply it to your own life – both personal and professional. Think about a time when you were able to overcome some major obstacle in your life:
Perhaps the time when you finally accepted that your marriage was over…
Or perhaps a time when you worked so hard to close that big investment deal, but it just didn’t close…
Or maybe the time when you thought you finally perfected those fireproof pants (see Meet the Robinsons)!
These are difficult pills to swallow, but today’s video clips remind us to pick-up the pieces and move on – to keep moving forward – no matter how hard times get.
“The world ain’t all sunshine and rainbows.. I don't care how tough you are – it will beat you to your knees and keep you there permanently, if you let it.” ~Rocky
Listen, we can’t be happy all the time, right? If we all walked around with perpetual smiles on our faces, chances are we’d be faking it half the time – and it would be just plain creepy.
Life is all about ups and downs and twists and turns, but you have to be willing to ride the roller coaster again and again, always moving forward with a positive mindset and saying…
“No matter what happens, I will accept setbacks and failures, and I will learn from them – because failures are simply the stepping stones to ultimate success.” ~You
Like the movie says: “From failure you learn; from success – not so much.”
Maybe Curiosity Didn’t Kill the Cat?
Remember that curiosity is a good thing. It’s what motivates us to move on.
In Meet the Robinsons, Lewis is the King of Curiosity. And by being curious, he was constantly exploring, inventing, and trying new things.
As an investor, your curiosity could lead you to bigger potential deals, a savvy business partner, or more innovative ways to improve your business. Curiously could be the key to your ultimate success.
"Around here, however, we don't look backwards for very long. We keep moving forward, opening new doors, and doing new things – because we're curious, and curiosity keeps leading us down new paths." ~Walt Disney
This lesson doesn’t necessarily call for action steps, but I do think it’s important to share these friendly reminders with you, all with today’s theme in mind: Keep Moving Forward.
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Don't let mistakes stop you; let them propel you forward.
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Always take something away from failures, and acknowledge what you learned.
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Challenge yourself to not be defeated by defeat.
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Don’t point fingers; stop looking for someone or something else to blame.
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Believe in yourself, no matter what.
Consider “failure” as an opportunity to learn and grow. The choice is yours to make. You can choose to blame others and stay on the ground whenever you get hit, swimming in your own pool of despair, self-doubt, shame, and self-pity. Or, you can choose to roll with the punches.
Like Rocky said, it’s not about how hard you get hit; it’s about how hard you can get hit and keep moving forward.
Know what you’re worth, and go after what your worth.
Summing It All Up in A Song…
Rob Thomas wrote an amazingly beautiful and appropriate song for Meet the Robinsons called “Little Wonders”. This song says it all, perfectly. Here are some of the lyrics…
…and be sure to check-out the music video.
Warning: Tissues required. This one tugs at the heartstrings for sure. Enjoy, my friends!
Let it go, let it roll right off your shoulder.
Don't you know the hardest part is over?
Let it in; let your clarity define you.
In the end, we will only just remember how it feels.
Let it slide; let your troubles fall behind you.
Let it shine until you feel it all around you.
And I don't mind if it's me you need to turn to.
We'll get by; it's the heart that really matters in the end.