If at first you don't succeed, try and try again

So says the old proverb. 

 

There are many things wrong with that concept, not the least of which is that you can spend ages TRYING to do something. The very concept of TRYING to do something suggests that it is difficult to achieve and that it is something that you might fail at. It actually encourages thoughts of failure rather than success and it is well known that we will tend to achieve that which we think of achieving. 

 

Successful people, when something does not work, simply do not bother with all this try and try again nonsense. They change something – it doesn’t much matter what – and then test the change to see if it achieves the desired goal. If not, then they will change something else and test that. 

 

1. Each time you test your idea, it is a new idea. You can be optimistic. If it doesn’t work for any reason at all, you will have simply discovered a new fact. 

 

2. Each change you make dissociates you from the previous efforts, so you don’t carry a subconscious belief of failure. The subconscious knows that this attempt is not the same as the previous ones and therefore will not foul things up with negativity. 

 

3. You are starting to become more conversant with your idea, constantly discovering new facets that will lead to total knowledge of it. 

 

4. You are training your mind and brain to look for what you want (success) rather than that which you fear (failure). 

 

5. Each change you make takes you one step closer to success. The only reason that people don’t succeed in their efforts – and it is a sad fact that many don’t – is that they give up before they discover how to make the idea work, often moving on to a ‘second best’ choice. 

 

6. You are learning more about the parts of the idea that DO work, gaining confidence and allowing you to concentrate on the area(s) that need improvement. 

 

This concept works well in almost all, if not all, areas of life. Career, relationships, hobbies, sports, communication, learning… in fact, it’s difficult to think of anything where it is *not* a worthwhile approach.