[success]Success does not consist in never making mistakes but in never making the same one a second time.
~ George Bernard Shaw[/success]
We’ve all been there. Got involved with the wrong person, made many a wrong decision, ignored something we should have paid more attention to, said yes when we should have said no. But what we might not have done is make the decision to never go back to what didn’t work before.
In fact, chances are we’ve done the same thing over and over countless times.
At the best of times you use adversity and challenge to grow stronger, to become greater than ever before…at the worst of times you give in and give up. Don’t do that to yourself. It doesn’t have to be that way.
You can decide that the blocks that stand between you and your best self will never get the better of you, and that comes a lot easier when you’ve made up your mind to never go back.
Take the smarter road and follow the lead of those happy, successful people who’ve woken up to the fact that by not repeating mistakes, their life gets better.
Happy successful people never again:
1. Forget that this day counts
You only have so many days left to love and be joyful on this earth. Don’t squander the blessing of life. Do something. It doesn’t mean you have to work your fingers to the bone, but do something that’s worthwhile to you, where you are, right now. Maybe something nourishing for your spirit, your body, your loved ones. But get going and make it happen.
2. Ignore a new idea
Who hasn’t had a brilliant idea, in the shower, in the car, on their morning walk and knew they’d remember it, but it drifted out of their grasp? However incredibly brilliant an idea is, it can be lost in the blink of an eye. Remember, one good idea could change everything. Practice valuing your ideas, they contain your future. Remember to make a note of them when they arrive, you’ll be amazed at the difference it makes in your life.
3. Let roadblocks hinder their progress
The easiest way to circumvent any blockages is to simply see yourself on the other side. And keep that mental picture until you arrive. Look upon roadblocks as gifts taking you down the path where your dreams are waiting. Learn from them, let them empower you to rise even higher.
4. Stop believing in themselves
The amount of confidence you have in yourself is a direct match to how quickly your goals materialize. Time is influenced by the concept you have of yourself. If you’ve been used to accomplishing things you can be certain that the interval between your desire and receiving it would be much shorter than if you were used to defeat. See yourself as an achiever. Start to believe. Have confidence. You can experience what you want, once you begin to believe you can.
5. Blame others for experiences in their life
The bottom line is: if the story you tell yourself is one of blaming, you will suffer. Whatever variation of someone doing you wrong you tell yourself, it’s a story of victimhood. Take back your power…you deserve better. Don’t waste your energy looking for someone to blame, use it to re-build the life of your dreams.
6. Allow chance to run their lives
Maybe you’re not very linear, I know I’m not. Maybe planning doesn’t come naturally to you, but without deciding where you’re heading at the start of every day, you’ll end up nowhere in particular. And worse, you might end up in endless busyiness, accomplishing little to nothing. When life reaches out to you, reach right back and use your dream as a master plan.
7. Choose negative images
There’s a good chance that you already do this. If you’re bored or lack enthusiasm for your life, you’re choosing negative images…in which case your day won’t turn out as well as it would if you kept positive things in mind. It’s hard to get positive results when living from negative thoughts. Remember there is no neutral you’re either operating from a plus for positive, or minus for negative. Make sure you’re on the plus side.
8. Withhold permission
Don’t wait for society, your friends or family to give you permission to achieve great things. Some people would prefer that you play small so they can feel better about themselves. It might sound harsh but that’s not your job. Give yourself permission to close the door to toxic relationships, to say no when you know you should, to not allow anyone else to define who you are. The only opinion that matters in your quest for success and happiness is yours.
9. Deny responsibility for their life
It’s not enough to stop complaining. You need to do more. You need to assume responsibility for your part in your life. Don’t be happy to have sympathy because your life is filled with what you don’t want. That’s not good enough for you. Accept more responsibility for yourself and take pleasure in all the congratulations you get for creating what you do want. Only you can get you where you want to go.
10. Tell themselves how much they’ve messed up
Telling yourself your memory is poor, it’s hard to get organized, you never get things right, good things always go bad, if it doesn’t work out it’s the end of life as you knew is just fear talking. Don’t let it ruin your days. Stand up for yourself and start speaking good things over your life. You have to walk like a winner, talk like a winner, act like a winner before you become one. Never forget you were born a powerful creator. Act like it.
11. Take relationships for granted
Great relationships don’t happen in a vacuum. Love will wither and die without being nurtured and cared for like the valuable and precious thing it is. Be willing to forgive, forget, kiss and make up. Participate in and experience your relationship as an action you take. It’s your deeds that matter. To have great love, practice great love.
12. Neglect spiritual or physical wellbeing
You grow from the inside out. Within is where your power to create lives and you ignore it at your peril. To become all you can be, awaken your sleeping spirit and begin to see the true greatness of being alive. Read something uplifting and encouraging. Hang out with supportive inspirational people. Be enthusiastic about your life…you bring something incredibly unique to the world. Value and take care of your body, it’s got to last you a lifetime and it’s crucial to your happiness and success.
Now, I’d love to hear from you.
What one thing will you never do again? Please comment below because you never know, what you have to say may be just what someone else needs to hear to experience more happiness and success.
Thank you so much for reading and sharing your brilliance with kindness and compassion. You always make my day. I am truly grateful.
Encourage one another
Love Elle
PS Thank you for reading! If you liked this article, please, share on your favorite social networks. Every share, thumbs up, like or tweet helps me reach more people who need some positive encouraging tips that work in real life.
18 Comments
I was trying to select the best 2 of those 12 points as a take away from this article, but it was hard. All 12 points are equally good. Good Article! Loved it! Keep it up!
Hi Elle,
That’s a marvelous list of things we usually err about.
In fact I find some relation between bullet #7 and #10.The way I see it; it’s people who carry negative images( #7) that tell themselves that they have messed up(#10) frequently.So you make a strong point there
I would suggest being happy as the shortest shortcut.
Being happy is the best choice we can make for ourself in most situations.That is actually the best attitude we can don when we step out to meet the world every day.
Unlike our clothes which wear out,our skin which wrinkles, our hair and teeth which politely depart from our body with advancing age;our attitude does not.A happy attitude is one thing which is not going to leave us, whatever the age,or circumstance.It is essentially a choice which we make continuously.
Thanks
Mona
Hi Mona, insightful as always. And the most important point you make, as far as I’m concerned is the one that we must continuously make the choice to have a happy attitude. Even though it’s not always easy in the midst of really trying or hurtful experiences. 🙂
Love this list, Elle. Numbers #2 and #4 are what I need today. I’m setting up some notepads around the house and in the car, because I do have ideas that float by during odd times. When I can get to the paper & pen, they have sometimes floated away.
#4 is a great reminder to believe in yourself. Great line here – “The amount of confidence you have in yourself is a direct match to how quickly your goals materialize.” Thanks! Great for this Monday!!
I’ve learned it the hard way too Cathy. I’ve tried using my phone, which works when I can remember to go back and listen. But for me jotting the ideas down on a piece of paper somehow works best. There’s something about the link between the written word and me that registers more! So happy you enjoyed the post. 🙂
9 through 11 are so key. It is so easy to slip into blaming others and throwing a self-pity party for yourself. It gets you nowhere though.
I also think it is important to not take relationships for granted. Learn to cherish and value them and end the ones that bring you down. Not having strong relationships is a surefire way to unhappiness.
Thanks for this list Elle.
So true about relationships Sebastian. It’s never about the words people say to you, it’s always about the actions. If they don’t match up, something isn’t right! I learned to pay attention to whether I was being valued and respected and used that as my guide. 🙂
This list is terrific, Elle! I think #3 is the one that speaks most to me today. There is so much I want to do toward my dream plans but life events continue to deter me or at least slow me down. I’m trying to realize there’s a reason for the slower pace . . . maybe it’s so I don’t miss anything along the way!
Hi Beth, thank you for stopping by. As someone who can be impulsive and impetuous and over exuberant, I recognize the importance of taking your time. What point is there to get somewhere without noticing all the joy and beauty and wonderful experiences you had along the way. I totally get it. 🙂
One thing I’ll never do again is allow my circumstances to dictate how I live my life. I used to put things on hold thinking it wasn’t the right time. Then I realized sometimes you just have to make it the right time. You can’t just sit back and wait, you’ve got to take action.
~Lea
We’ve all been there and done that Lea, in my lifetime I’ve put off so many things, as you say ‘waiting for the right time’ and you’re right. There is no ‘right time’ there’s only now. Great that you recognize this, it made all the difference in my world and I’d bet it does in yours. 🙂
Elle,
Loved this post right from the Shaw quote right at the start to all the tips at the end. I especially like #1 and #8. I always try to 1 make every day count, no matter if it’s a big day or an ordinary one. Then the blame game is one I’m always trying to start away from. I know so many people who do not take responsibility and blame anything that happens on other people to just plain bad luck. I’ve tried to teach my kids to let go of blame as well.
Thanks for the inspiration!
Hi Elle; what a great post. so often we hear about what to do but knowing what not to do again is even more important. i have a few of these including not taking myself for granted, not underestimating my abilities or what I have to share with the world, not thinking of myself in limited terms of who i am or have been but as who i can and will be. I will no longer use the word just only or solely in sentences to describe myself. and i will never forget that taking a step out in faith is always rewarded. It may not be rewarded in the way you expected or hoped for; but god will definitely show you that your faith is appreciated. take care my friend, Max
Hi Max, wow that’s impressive. Good for you to be aware enough to decide who you will be in the world. We’re all at choice as to how we show up, but sadly many don’t realize they can view themselves from a new perspective any time they’d like and enter a whole new world. 🙂
Hi, I really love reading your articles, it has always been very enlightening for me, it allows me to have a broader perspective of life that nothing should come between me and my goals.. The 12 points that you mentioned are very helpful. I’m sure most of your readers can relate to it. Thanks for always sharing a great post.
Hi Sherill – I love what you say about having a broader perspective on life…like you I’m always working on broadening my horizons and I’m truly happy that we can journey together. 🙂
Leaving the bad past behind, believing I deserve great things and following through my goals.
Good thing for us all to do Coll. 🙂