On Success, Failure, and Limitations
In nearly every job I have worked I have re-defined the job description and stretched the limits of what my employers expected of me and thought possible. When I left it usually took two or more people to cover the work that I was assigned, and as far as I know they never found a single person replacement who, even with training and experience could perform as well as I did. That is a fact. It is also a fact that I am nothing special.
As a child I suffered from what is now called ADHD. As an adult I suffer from an extreme case of sleep apnea (it is being treated) which at its height caused me to fall asleep during the wait at stoplights while I was driving. Those two issues would usually result in a serious focus problem. In fact either would be an excellent excuse to fail in nearly any endeavor. In my case they had exactly the opposite effect.
I accept that I have challenges in my life. Some are naturally occurring while others are generated by other people. I treat all of them the same way. I see them as obstacles that need to be planned for and neutralized in as much as that is possible. To address focus issues I became process oriented. I develop a process to handle whatever task I need to perform on a regular basis. Once established I follow that process every time I perform that task. If I encounter a problem that falls outside of the process I determine the solution and incorporate it into my process so that particular type of problem will never be an issue again. I constantly tweak my processes until I am confident that I am using the most efficient method to complete my tasks. I also check with other people doing similar tasks to see if they know a better way. If they do I shamelessly steal their techniques.
So what makes me better at what I do than people who are smarter, better educated, more talented, etc…? I would say that it is the fact that I know and acknowledge that I have weaknesses and shortcomings and I plan to minimize the impact that they have on me and what I do. I am going to be bold here and suggest that everyone has some shortcomings and limitations. I may be wrong, but for the sake of argument let’s assume that I am not. From what I have seen most people deal with these differently than I do and not always the same way.
Some people use their shortcomings and limitations as an excuse to fail. I guess if you are willing to fail it is nice to have an excuse, but that just isn't for me. In some cases it even gives them reasons not to try. Once again if you are looking for a reason not to try I suppose it is nice to have one on standby, but I don’t like to fail and I consider that I fail at 100% of the things I don’t even try to do. I guess that some of these people expect to fail, and that expectation creates a self fulfilling prophecy.
Other people elect to ignore their shortcomings. On the surface that sounds ok, but in action it prevents them from planning ways around their shortcomings. In other words their shortcomings sneak up on them if you will, and ambush them causing them to fail. They fail in situations where they might have succeeded if they had planned better and taken their shortcomings into account ahead of time. As I said I don’t like to fail so that isn't for me.
I do not always succeed. In fact I fail more often than most of the people I know. Each time I do I pick myself up, dust myself off and try to find a way that will succeed. Most of the time this method eventually allows me to succeed even in situations where others thought what I was attempting was impossible. When I was young I liked a particular board game. I had some talent for it, but I was only good at the game. I met a player who was great, the best in the area. I must have played him over 100 times and I lost every time. Every time I lost I learned to play a little better. The last time I played him we played to a draw. He refused to play me after that, but I was happy for the opportunities he provided. I didn't lament each loss, I learned from them. Each became a stepping stone to becoming a better player and so each loss was a gift. I guess what I am saying is that I am not afraid of failure. I am afraid of giving up and so I don’t.
So put simply shortcomings and failures aren't bad things in and of themselves. It is all in how you deal with them. If you have the right perspective you can turn what most people would consider negatives and limitations into tools to help you succeed. It is really up to you. Are you looking for an excuse to fail or a means to succeed?
As a child I suffered from what is now called ADHD. As an adult I suffer from an extreme case of sleep apnea (it is being treated) which at its height caused me to fall asleep during the wait at stoplights while I was driving. Those two issues would usually result in a serious focus problem. In fact either would be an excellent excuse to fail in nearly any endeavor. In my case they had exactly the opposite effect.
I accept that I have challenges in my life. Some are naturally occurring while others are generated by other people. I treat all of them the same way. I see them as obstacles that need to be planned for and neutralized in as much as that is possible. To address focus issues I became process oriented. I develop a process to handle whatever task I need to perform on a regular basis. Once established I follow that process every time I perform that task. If I encounter a problem that falls outside of the process I determine the solution and incorporate it into my process so that particular type of problem will never be an issue again. I constantly tweak my processes until I am confident that I am using the most efficient method to complete my tasks. I also check with other people doing similar tasks to see if they know a better way. If they do I shamelessly steal their techniques.
So what makes me better at what I do than people who are smarter, better educated, more talented, etc…? I would say that it is the fact that I know and acknowledge that I have weaknesses and shortcomings and I plan to minimize the impact that they have on me and what I do. I am going to be bold here and suggest that everyone has some shortcomings and limitations. I may be wrong, but for the sake of argument let’s assume that I am not. From what I have seen most people deal with these differently than I do and not always the same way.
Some people use their shortcomings and limitations as an excuse to fail. I guess if you are willing to fail it is nice to have an excuse, but that just isn't for me. In some cases it even gives them reasons not to try. Once again if you are looking for a reason not to try I suppose it is nice to have one on standby, but I don’t like to fail and I consider that I fail at 100% of the things I don’t even try to do. I guess that some of these people expect to fail, and that expectation creates a self fulfilling prophecy.
Other people elect to ignore their shortcomings. On the surface that sounds ok, but in action it prevents them from planning ways around their shortcomings. In other words their shortcomings sneak up on them if you will, and ambush them causing them to fail. They fail in situations where they might have succeeded if they had planned better and taken their shortcomings into account ahead of time. As I said I don’t like to fail so that isn't for me.
I do not always succeed. In fact I fail more often than most of the people I know. Each time I do I pick myself up, dust myself off and try to find a way that will succeed. Most of the time this method eventually allows me to succeed even in situations where others thought what I was attempting was impossible. When I was young I liked a particular board game. I had some talent for it, but I was only good at the game. I met a player who was great, the best in the area. I must have played him over 100 times and I lost every time. Every time I lost I learned to play a little better. The last time I played him we played to a draw. He refused to play me after that, but I was happy for the opportunities he provided. I didn't lament each loss, I learned from them. Each became a stepping stone to becoming a better player and so each loss was a gift. I guess what I am saying is that I am not afraid of failure. I am afraid of giving up and so I don’t.
So put simply shortcomings and failures aren't bad things in and of themselves. It is all in how you deal with them. If you have the right perspective you can turn what most people would consider negatives and limitations into tools to help you succeed. It is really up to you. Are you looking for an excuse to fail or a means to succeed?