Dare to live without limits Week of 12/2/19

Like a child learning to walk, get back up

As an infant, one of your first major accomplishments was learning how to walk. Doing so required that you got back up each time you fell. If you had remained down, you would not be walking today.
The same principle applies to any achievement; you succeed by always getting back up. This is a fundamental success principle. Although everybody falls, successful people get right back up. Staying down guarantees failure.
You have fallen when your plans don’t work out as expected. Falling down is not permanent as long as you get back up. Falling is part of life just as it was part of learning how to walk. The only way to avoid falling is by never walking.
When you fall, don’t wallow in the negative experience or self-pity. Doing so hinders your ability to quickly get back up. Young children do this when they sit on the floor crying, refusing to get up. When down, direct your attention to where you would rather be.
When getting up, don’t mope around with a woe is me attitude. This approach is no different than staying down. A defeatist mindset impedes progress. Getting back up with positive energy and determination is what’s needed.
When you fall down, take responsibility. Don’t make excuses, or blame other people or circumstances. You are responsible for the position you are in and you are responsible for getting back up. Taking responsibility is essential for getting back up.
Don’t look for sympathy when you fall. The attention may be nice, but having other people feeling sorry for you doesn’t help you. When their sympathy fades, you’ll still be in the same position. Turn to your inner strength to get back up.
Worrying keeps you down. It paralyzes you with fear. Focusing on all which could go wrong works against you by attracting the exact circumstances you want to avoid. Replace worry with positive action in order to get back up.
As soon as you fall, determine what action is required to get back up. Write down your specific plan to recover. Identify the immediate next step required. Take that next step. The size of the step is irrelevant. No step forward is too small.
Understanding why you fell is invaluable. Each fall contains a valuable lesson. Learn as much as possible from your experience. Use your new insights to facilitate getting back up and continuing to move forward. It’s a waste of time to repeatedly fall for the same reasons.
If you are not sure of what to do next, consider all of your options. Don’t limit yourself. Anything you want to achieve is possible with a strong enough desire. A clear picture of your next step propels you to get up.
Getting stuck deciding on the best option leads to paralysis by analysis. Just pick the most appealing option. Your selection doesn’t have to be perfect, it just has to be workable right now. Your decisions will be fine-tuned as your progress. Getting back up by moving toward any positive objective is always preferable to remaining down.
Complaining is problem oriented. Complaining keeps your down. Getting back up requires a solution orientation. Search out the solution which exists for whatever problem you are facing. There is also a way around any obstacle in your path.
When you fall, keep things in perspective. Your circumstances are usually not as bad as you think. As your emotions stabilize, your options will appear more clearly. Many other people who have been in your situation have gotten back up. Therefore, you can get back up also.

NOW AVAILABLE: "Dare to Live Without Limits," the book. Visit www.BryanGolden.com or your bookstore. Bryan is a management consultant, motivational speaker, author, and adjunct professor. E-mail Bryan at bryan@columnist.com or write him c/o this paper.  2019 Bryan Golden