Legendary IMB Chairman Thomas Watson said when asked about how to have success: "Double Your Rate of Failure"

 

Hey Everyone,

Thanks for sticking in there and following along on this short detour from some of our usual topics, to the large important piece of the whole picture: Mental Mastery. Today we are going to talk about the friction that occurs in life which will tell you that you are missing your objective at this moment. That friction is otherwise known as mistakes. They are also known as "failures". I choose to not have a negative viewpoint of this friction. Bottom line: in this world, if you are going to achieve anything of value that lasts, you will have to play with life's resistance and turn it around into opportunity.

When I created Racers Workout, I didn't sit down and create Racers Workout. It took me years to learn enough through intense sessions with my clients, to see what worked and what didn't. There was plenty of embarrassment along the way. It has actually gotten worse rather than better, as I learn the ins and outs of the marketing process and the internet. I feel stupid almost on a daily basis, but that is how I know there is progress. Remember that.

Rule #3: Anything worth doing well is worth doing poorly at first

One the best success quotes out there actually is about failure.  Thomas Watson oversaw the growth of IBM into the dominant company on the scene for the new computer industry.  He was asked what would be his biggest success tip. He answered simply: Double your rate of failure. I train my professional racing clients always keeping this principle in mind and always looking at what I can do to make them fail in their workouts.  I would advise anyone that is looking at any training program for car or motorcycle racers, to be very skeptical of any program that doesn't stress you, make your body uncomfortable and eventually bring you to the failing point.

It doesn't matter what it is: exercise, your work or any other acctivity you feel is worth pursuing, mistakes and failure are a vital part of the growth process.  Every activity that we seek to be great at is so nuanced and has so many minor parts, that it is impossible to be the master of it the first time out.  You will notice that if you live with the reality that mistakes and adjustments are part of the learning process, your exuberance for the work will increase. I have never known anybody who is a success, not Joey Saldana, not Kasey Kahne, who didn't hold great enthusiasm for their work.

So I work with my clients and I tell them to work to the edge of failure and don't worry about an exercise being uncomfortable. In fact, welcome it. This is an easy idea to get across to elite athletes. Simply put, they pursued their dreams with total abandon from an early age and are accustomed to not winning the first time out. They are even accustomed to looking foolish at times.

To not fail, is to fail. To take mistakes personally and let your ego get in the way of your march to success is a fruitless approach. Actually, this is one of the easiest lessons of Brian's 7 laws to grasp. Making this slight adjustment will set you on fire almost immediately. Suddenly, the world becomes a place where you can do anything if you realize anything worth doing is, is worth doing poorly at first.

 

I bring up Colonel Sanders a lot. As a man of retirement age who was willing to face rejection hundreds of times to bring his product to the masses, he showed great strength and belief. You might even say he showed....

True Grit. A genius quality all it's own.

 

Rule #4: Within every failure or defeat lay the seeds for an even success or victory

The mindset of the highly successful is one of always looking for opportunity.   We talked in recent articles about Thomas Watson of IBM and his success key to "double your rate of failure".  Unless a person commits himself to living in a cave and minimal interaction with the outside world, there will be friction. Friction and difficulty brought on by external forces, often lead to what we know generaly as problems.

We all have problems. There is a success secret in how the best among us deal with problems. They don't manage them, or 12 step them. Rather they focus on making problems into opportunities.  Brian Tracy says in 21st century success law #4 that within each problem we encounter, there actually lies the beginnings of greater success.  Guys I train like Joey Saldana of Sprint Cars and NASCAR' Kasey Kahne are elite because they are always looking for the benefit and how they can better themselves from adverse circumstances. They are always focusing their minds on how they can add value.

Worrying or becoming dejected by a temporary set back insures that nothing of value will be created from a situation.  Within my Racer's Workout is a mental fitness training program for car and motorcycle racers that focus on maximizing the moment.  Avoid the tendency to curl up in a ball when life's inevitable resistence comes your way and work on a new tendency to actually welcome it with an eye towards maximizing the value of it for you and everyone around you. What we are talking about here is basic wholesome beneficial habits of thinking being created the same way the bad ones were: Constant repetition.

Start with this simple  mental exercise: Every time something happens that tends to  cause a negative reaction inside of you as if automatic, take a moment or two to let the event pass. Then ask yourself, how can I make this into something of benefit? Spend your time thinking strategically and not accepting that an event is wholly negative. You will find this habit empowering and your mind will start to work big time towards greater success. 

The people who have made Billions annually off Buffalo wings, owe it all to the minds who decided to quit throwing away the wings and instead make them something special. Opportunity out of defeat, and one tasty treat. (yes you can eat these and still be Top Fuel Nutrition compliant.)

 

Filed under: Motivational Messages • Workout Tips

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