THE PAST IS THE PAST - DEAL WITH IT

In life, you will always get advice from people ill qualified to offer it. They mean well but it never actually makes you feel any better at the time of offering. 'it will get easier', 'things will sort themselves out'. Ask them to give you real life examples of how they have come to that conclusion and you will often be met with a blank stare.

IT'S LIFE - DEAL WITH IT. 

There is a fine line between reflecting back to past experiences and living in the past. Creating a clear focus that will enable you to move forward is essential in order to rebuild whatever it is you're looking to rebuild; perhaps a business, your career, relationships or reputation? Whatever it is you have to make sure you don't let it hold you back and drag you down. 

WE ALL MAKE MISTAKES, IT'S HOW YOU DEAL WITH THEM THAT MAKES THE DIFFERENCE. 

Mistakes, if used effectively can and should be used as the stepping stones to success. Without them, often we find ourselves trying to reach a place that at times can be difficult to reach. Michael Jordan got cut from his high school basketball team. Did that stop him from pursuing his dream? Tom Cruise, Bradley Cooper, and Tom Hardy were all turned down for film roles but they didn't let the experience hold them back. They used the valuable lessons they had to build a mindset that pulled on their experience but didn't let it cloud their head with negative thoughts.

Create a book (of sorts) in your head of the mistakes you have made. Read it very slowly and carefully and let it sink in for a while. Ensure you fully understand the content so it becomes a lasting memory, but make sure you only read it once. Much like a book, you read as a child. A lasting memory but one you never feel the need to re-read. Reflection is one thing but continuous reflection of the mistakes you've made will only ever hold you back in life. Mistakes in business are not a bad thing, at the time they aren't a good thing but rarely does a mistake happen that you can't learn from.

1. Reference

By all means take notes and break down how and why the mistake was made. Use them as a point of reference. But don't carry them around with you all the time because excessive baggage will weigh you down. 

2. Reflect

Looking back after the event is an important part fo learning from past events, both good and bad. Sometimes when you are in the thick of things and you can't always see the wood from the trees. It's not always possible to get a clear perspective on the situation. Only after time will you see the clearer picture. 

3. Recover

if a sportsman takes a knock or picks up an injury they take some time out and mend whatever needs repairing, be it a physical injury or their mindset. The most successful sports stars use their experiences to come back, fitter and stronger than before. Take that approach with life and you will grow and develop into a much more successful person.

BOUNCE BACK

That my friends is the key to facing up to any mistakes you make in life. Ensure you bounce back, bigger, bolder and better than before. We are surrounded with dreamers and average Joe's in life, who like nothing better than to see other people fail. Why? Becuase they don't have the guts or ambition to pursue a life of purpose because they aren't like you or me. There is a reason why there is only one JK Rowling - who continued to pursue her dream of writing an international best seller when everyone else sniggered behind her back and told her to be realistic with her goals. 

Use the challenges that life throws at you as the stepping stones to success. Use failure as a reminder of a place you don't want to revisit again. Learn and don't let the mistakes you make define you as a person unless of course, you are using them to pave the way to bigger and better things :)

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