It's a New Year and time when we plan new things and expect different results. It is also a time riddled with high expectations which sometimes result in defeat!

A core presupposition in the neuroscience field is that there is no failure, there is only feedback. Another variation on that theme is that there are no mistakes; there are only outcomes. If that is the case we should accept and embrace our so called failures and mistakes and mine them for the learning they contain. We should also be aware that our setbacks and successes are simply two sides of the one coin.

The implication here is that the results we get when we attempt to reach our various goals in life may be interpreted in different ways. And so long as we are committed to learning and growing from each experience it doesn’t matter what a particular short term outcome may be because course correction is simply a normal part of what it is to be human. Depending upon the particular goal, it may require more effort or different actions to accomplish it. In many instances, our ultimate long term success is not a function of immediate results; it is a result of many short well focused sprints and an ongoing feedback loop of learning. And sometimes we may need to try something we suspect may not work in order to get the feedback necessary to progress further along the path.

So why is it that so many people adopt a sense of ‘failure’ if a particular action doesn’t work out? I am of the mind that it’s the result of our culture which seems to be more and more about the need for instant gratification. In my own case one of the online projects I am developing hasn’t ‘gone viral’ as rapidly as I had hoped, but that’s not a justification to quit. It rather is a test bed for learning and ongoing personal and professional development. If this way isn’t producing results, let’s try this way. One thing I have learned in life is that quitting isn’t an option. Because if we quit once it is then more likely that we will quit again and any behaviour that is continuously reinforced eventually becomes a conditioned aspect of our human experience.

One way we can approach this issue of failure is to give ourselves permission to fail. In fact if we don’t allow ourselves to fail, failure becomes more and more loaded with meaning. This prevents it from being part of our learning process, the trial and error learning we used as children when we first began to make our way in the world. It prevents failing from being part of the feedback process so vital to help us to refine our performance and eventually succeed. Suddenly failure becomes so loaded with emotion; our fear of it prevents us from succeeding. Giving ourselves permission to fail sidesteps any concern we might otherwise feel about performance. When we allow this, we don’t fail. It releases us from the fear of failure. If we don’t allow ourselves to make mistakes, we will live a life that’s bland and grey. Acceptable risks can lead to incredible results. An amazing life can unfold if you allow it.

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You have thought long and hard about it and you decide you need a life coach. Do you know what's involved?

A coach helps clients empower themselves to address aspects of their personal and professional lives. Some coaches deal with personal clients while others only work with businesses and other organisations that have identified individuals who could benefit. Some work with both types.

Either way, there’s an early discussion around expectations and about the role of the coach. An effective coach sets out to create a trusting and confidential environment in which the client can speak openly and explore the areas they would like to address.

Some coaches will use a framework that encourages the client to set goals and map out action plans for achieving them. The key, here, is to break down goals into small, manageable steps. This helps to make the goal-setting progress realistic but it's also useful for identifying milestones at which the client can observe progress and reward themselves accordingly.

However, sometimes, the client is unaware of the issue - or issues - but the coach, through careful probing and listening, will help them get to the root of the matter.

The coach may well follow up with a series of monitor-and-review sessions to discuss progress. Additional email and phone personal development coaching are sometimes available but the overall aim is to give clients the tools and techniques for moving on as quickly and effectively as possible themselves.

For more on Coaching and Mentoring...contact us

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People have asked over the years how to know when a business is worth pursuing. How to know whether or not time is being wasted.

It is obvious that if you are passionate about your company, deeply passionate about it, then it’s worth pursuing.

We are clear on this. That you are never wasting your time when you care deeply about the outcome.

What I am also clear about is that just because you love the purpose of your business, just because you’re passionate about it, does not mean that you are pursuing it correctly.

Indeed, if you’re struggling and making no headway, you’re probably not.

People who thought they knew what they were doing, but were experiencing difficulty doing it, came to see that the difficulty was a symptom that something serious was missing in their business and their relationship with it.

In short, while most people confuse difficulty in their business no matter what they try to do to overcome it with the possibility that it’s their business’ problem — too much competition, wrong location. Consider the example of ASDA - with a new face, a new look, a new wonder infused into the process by which they broach the idea of their business, something remarkable takes place. And suddenly, there is new hope. And with the new hope, life takes on a different meaning.

Imagination is everything.

For example, imagine what it would mean for a self-employed woman with six children to discover that there was a way to create more time and more cash flow without working as hard as she is accustomed to.

What is that way you ask? It makes no difference — just imagine that there is such a way. What would that way be worth to you if you were that woman?

Imagine it.

Or, for another example. imagine a gentleman who just graduated from chiropractic school at the age of 47. He is about to start his new practice, but he hasn’t  a clue about how to do that. They never taught that to him in chiropractic school.

Imagine what it would mean if you could reveal to that new, enthusiastic, but terrified, chiropractor a stunningly effective startup system built just for someone like him which would enable him to begin his practice with none of the fears he now suffers from.

Imagine it.

Any entrepreneur is in the business of imagining the perfect solution to someone’s very real problem, and, in the process of inventing his or her new company to deliver that solution is transforming somebody’s world.

You, too, can do that. We all can.

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What a busy week! Monday and Tuesday was spent preparing for the Wednesday event. Entitled No Question! this was in inspirational event for female International Students in and around Liverpool Inspiring stories from the guest speakers, food, speednetworking, and even a dance class, this was an excellent evening enjoyed by all.

Check back for pictures and video testimonials from the event.

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