Do you share your losses as much as you share your wins?
It’s maybe tough to talk about and possibly makes us feel a little humiliated but there are lessons that can be learned from where we got it wrong!
Mistakes will happen, and although you might be tempted to bury them under the rug, there is value in sharing what happened with others.
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Success stories are great for inspiration and motivation, but loss stories have the potential to teach lessons and to prevent others from experiencing the same struggles as you. Sure, you won’t be a perfectly polished figure, but you will walk away with far more value. Here is what we have found from communicating our lessons and losses with others.
1. The more you share, the more you will learn
The greatest impact you can make is by living through the struggles you are facing and then coming out the other side ready to share what you learned with others. Not only is this a benefit to those who aspire to be like you, it also teaches you a deeper truth and underlines your value.
When I first started out in business, I made an error in judgement that cost me. But It wasn’t until I began to coach others in their business journeys that I realized the root of my mistake.
I hadn’t done my due diligence well enough and took far too much on trust when entering a partnership. When I shared what happened, I began digging deeper and was asked powerful questions from others which helped me to discover the true root of where my mistake lay. From that point forward, I developed a thorough due diligence process and checklist together with gaining better insights into people to gauge their motivations. Had I kept this slip up to myself, I never would have learned how to ensure it didn’t happen again and I wouldn’t have shared the learnings with others.
2. Connections and collaborations improve
Perfection doesn’t bring communities together. I believe this is a human element that is instinctively understood but ego prevents us from pursuing. What really connects others is the act of peeling the curtain back and sharing what wins and lessons you have experienced from a place of dignity.
I’ll never forget meeting an extraordinarily successful businessperson at a networking event. I had barely mentioned who I was, and within moments he spoke about a hard lesson he had recently learned on a deal strategy. Here was this amazing person exposing a mistake.
I immediately felt a powerful sense of connection and trust.
I walked away from the conversation having learned something about what not to do in terms of strategy, but more importantly, I wanted to learn more from that person.
3. Growth becomes exponential
The more I allow myself to be aware of difficult business experiences or unravel my mind’s propensity to try to control, the more I can tell the difference between the shackles of fear and the voices of evolution and growth.
When I experience anxious moments, there is always a layer of truth that lies beneath them. By allowing myself to acknowledge this and face the reality of what is causing these anxious sensations (and not anchoring to them), I find valuable growth. I have learned where my weaknesses lie, where the gaps in my knowledge are, and where I need to place more of my focus in the future.
All said, choose to see your losses, communicate them to others, and in the moment, find the lessons for personal growth. There is so much to be gained.
Most of all, you are stronger that you think and even if you feel this at times, you aren’t in this alone!
Go well,
Nick Fagan
