For many of us, we treat success as a possibility. We hope to succeed someday, but a few slivers of doubt still resides in the dark corners of our mind. We just continue working, wishing that some day our fantasy will become a reality.
In truth, our success is determined entirely by our expectations. If we expect that we might fail, we will.
I’m a big believer in the idea that people will behave based upon the standards we set them. If the manager of a store is relentlessly hard on his employees, never praising them and only ever pointing out their bad points, they won’t improve. The bar has been set - and it’s low. And they’ll never raise it unless they’re credited for their work.
On the flip side, if that same manager dropped the criticisms and focused solely on positive reinforcement, praising his staff for even the smallest of things, a new standard is set. The bar raises, and they’ll strive to meet it. They’ll behave in order to receive more praise, and far better than if they were being criticised.
In much the same way, we set a bar for ourselves. If we expect that we’ll fail, or that success might not be on the horizon, it won't be. We won’t work hard enough to attain it. We’ll work towards the future we’ve projected for ourselves: a future discoloured by the bleak hue of failure.
To succeed, we have to eliminate the possibility of failure. We need to expect that we will succeed, and in doing so, we’ll work harder to actualise that reality. We’ll set the bar high and strive to reach it. And we’ll succeed.
I have a goal to raise my monthly earnings to £5,000 by the end of this year. If I expect to fail, I won’t work hard, because, according to me, I won’t succeed anyway. But if I expect to achieve that goal, I’ll work hard to do exactly that.
Failure isn’t an option - but only if we choose to remove it as a possibility. Work hard, put in the hours, and expect to win. Chances are, you will.
Motivation Monday: At the best of times, Mondays leave us feeling tired, miserable and wanting little more than to stay inside our cosy beds. Motivation Monday is all about resisting the temptation to slack and keep up with our day-to-day efforts at becoming our best selves.
Photo by Gesina Kunkel on Unsplash