What impact has failure had on your life? Do you allow disappointment to push you closer to your dreams or further away from them?
I have been contemplating these questions lately as I reflect on my own experience with disappointment, and how it has become one of my greatest motivators for success.
During piloting school, I ran into a difficult setback while learning to master grass strip landings. On multiple occasions, my persistent efforts to successfully land fell short. I just couldn’t get the technique right. After some time, my only option was to take a break and try again later. I was extremely disappointed, but more than that, I felt like a failure. My inability to conquer this landing made me question if flying was really for me.
Later that day, my 8-year-old daughter shared wisdom with me that I had given to her before. “All you can do is your best,” she told me. “You can go and try again tomorrow. Don’t give up. I believe in you!”
As I reflected on the afternoon’s experience and my daughter’s encouragement, I remembered that failure can become one of my greatest keys to success when I allow it to transform my perspective. In this situation, my disappointment led me to face reality with new vision and I discovered a few valuable lessons along the way.
NEW EXPERIENCES REQUIRE NEW PERSPECTIVE
The rules that govern aviation are much different from the rules that govern automobiles. The same is true of our lives. In order to succeed in new situations, we have to re-align our focus on the needs of our present circumstances.
SUCCESS IS NOT A DESTINATION, IT’S A LIFESTYLE
Many years ago, while at the Leadership Management Institute, I learned that success is the “progressive realization of worthwhile predetermined goals.” This taught me that our moments of success (or failure) should be used as fuel to propel us into our destiny. When we fuse our creativity with practical execution, we are invited into a journey and not simply an ending point.
CONSISTENCY IS KEY
When life doesn’t pan out the way that we expected, we must keep showing up. How we face these unmet expectations is ultimately how we reach our goals. By showing up, day after day, we become people of persistence, and the compound effect of our daily focused activity allows us to achieve success.
KEEP GOING
The two greatest assets of any pilot are altitude and speed. On the other end, a pilot’s greatest enemies are low and slow. When a pilot is low to the ground and slow with the plane, they are not able to make quick decisions in critical moments. With altitude and speed, however, the pilot is able to gracefully maneuver the aircraft in nearly any circumstance. When we position ourselves to see things from an elevated point of view, we are more apt to go through our situations, problems, and circumstances with readiness. This allows us to keep pushing forward and come out stronger as a result.
NEVER GIVE UP
This just might be the biggest key of all! We will always face disappointments and failures in life, but we cannot allow these things to hinder us from achieving our goals. When we fuse our dreams with action MAGIC happens. This was certainly the case with my aviation training.
After taking a break, I allowed the information I had gained about plane landings to take deeper root in my mind and heart. Eventually, it became apart of me and the next time I went out to practice, I succeeded with flying colors. When I returned to the field I was stronger than ever and after a few more tests, I achieved my goal and received my pilot’s license.
Facing disappointment in life is like running on a battlefield. One moment we’re chasing the target before us in full confidence, ready to conquer its challenges with courage and resolve. Other times, we are tripped up, forced to face the reality that this field is not for the faint of heart. Though failure and disappointment are inescapable, they do not have to hinder our ability to succeed. When we renew our perspective and keep pushing forward, disappointment can become one of our greatest instructors for success.
Jacqueline Camacho-Ruiz is the CEO of JJR Marketing (www.jjrmarketing.com) and Fig Factor Media LLC international book publishing company (www.figfactormedia.com), founder of The Fig Factor Foundation (www.thefigfactor.org), creator of Today’s Inspired Latina book series and international movement (www.todayslatina.com), author of eleven books (www.jackiecamacho.com), international speaker, and pilot. Jacqueline speaks to hundreds of audiences about marketing, servant leadership, finding your passion, and achieving success in business. She has addressed the United States Army, BP International, United Airlines, Allstate, and Farmers Insurance among other corporations to share her inspiration.
If you or an organization you know needs as speaker, please get in touch with us at http://www.jackiecamacho.com/contact.