Fresh Start Monday #031: Fail: An acronym to shift perspective

Today I said to my coach how the last six months have felt like my wheels have been spinning in place in snow. I added that it feels like I'm failing a lot with no significant success.

He asked if I knew what fail stood for, I said no. Fail stands for "further attempt in learning."

I've never heard of that acronym before, but upon further reflection realized how apt that described my circumstances.

Your tires start spinning in snow or ice from lack of traction. Often made worse by accelerating too fast.

Getting stuck in snow is similar to getting stuck in our careers.

We find ourselves in a position we don't want to be in, and we press the gas pedal too hard. We want change fast, but you're only digging yourself deeper. We equate action with progress.

Usually, our need for action is a consequence of not being able to sit with and be aware of emotion. If we get stuck in the snow we might respond with anger or impatience. If our company's not doing well or we just got laid off, we might respond with fear.

The emotions behind our circumstances drive us to solve the problem through action.

But how might one go through these situations differently?

Creating movement comes from a solid foundation.

If you're stuck in snow, can you use branches or materials in your car such as floor mats?

In your career, can you utilize a career coach to find clarity on what's next? Or create a roadmap of potential next steps before diving in?

To continue this analogy, I think of a manual transmission and how you can be more deliberate in starting your car. It's often when we choose to slow down that we move forward.

Six months ago, I wanted everything all at once, and that kept me in place. With each passing month, I've gained more and more traction. Each failure has the potential to be the last piece of traction to spring you forward.