Do you keep track of your failures?
Case Foundation – Do you keep a failure journal?
Failure is big these days. At our companies and in our careers we are encouraged to look at what we do wrong in order to improve. My reaction: why the either/or approach to documenting our work and growth?
I have always loved the idea of a gratitude journal, yet that often felt incomplete: nothing ever goes according to plan and if I’m not mindful about my mistakes, I can’t correct them. At the same time, focusing only on my failures, makes it difficult to find the bright spots that need to be strengthened and built on. In general, I am a big fan of letting go of things I am not good at.
I also like to see the big picture as very little of what we do happens in isolation. Therefore, my weekly notes usually look like this:
- Who I am grateful for: Co-worker, family member, friend, mentor…our relationships are often the fuel and inspiration we need to do good work.
- What went well this week and why: In addition to a pat on the back, it helps identify what I am doing that brings success.
- What didn’t go well and why: Not just what didn’t go my way, but also mistakes I’ve made and how I can improve.
This quick list helps me stay positive while identifying patterns and habits I need to strengthen or break.
How about you? What do you do to track your work?
I find this post very inspiring. Most people think success is based on what we’re good at, but like you, I agree we also need to know what we’re not good at to move forward. Sometimes, you just need to suck it up, get over yourself, and be proud of who you are instead of upset about who you aren’t. Accept failures, accept mistakes, and learn from them. I think people underestimate themselves and live with the contentment of failure, when really, what’s stopping them from succeeding? What’s stopping them from getting over these failures? Perhaps it all comes down to the realization. Thanks for making me think
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