Success never ever runs along in a straight line.
So in discussing your success, let me recount a recent experience hiccuping. What does hiccupping have to do with success? Keep reading…
I recently had the displeasure of experiencing a bout of hiccups. You know that involuntary gulping with audible sound that could go on forever and cause chest pains if not attended to? Yes that annoying spasm…hiccups.
How do you treat your hiccups? Do you get someone to frighten you (I hear that sudden and unexpected fright could literally scare the hiccups away)? Place a piece of thread on your head? Force a yawn? Stand on your head? Pinch your nose and hold your breath for as long as you can? Drink room temperature water slowly? Personally ascribe to the water remedy; I sip room temperature water from a cup slowly – and I mean slllloooowwwly – there is a skill to it and it works for me every time.
But I am not here to talk about biological conditions; rather I want to talk about those stumbles, trips and missteps that take us off our stride on our way to success. I want to share some all-purpose ideas to help get us back on an even knell whenever we fall prey of hiccups – hic!
I also want to share with you some tactics that I have employed when I experienced hiccups on my journey to success. No one is immune to the foibles I assure you, and if it is a problem, we best be prepared to rebound. [If you have NEVER encountered hiccups on your journey to success, this is a nice place to stop; if you have…shall we continue]
The first and most important thing I would say you do when you experience a hiccup is to do is a postmortem. What’s a post mortem? Well, technically it is an autopsy; the physical up close and personal examination of a body to determine cause of death.
Many times when we experience hiccups on our road to success, many of us throw our towel into the ring and call it quits. We give up, step back from the plate and possibly give up on our opportunity. You do know that hiccups or failure are just a comma and never full stop, don’t you? Do you know that biological/physical hiccups is your body’s way of expelling excess air trapped inside you? It is cause and effect really, eat too fast, you swallow too much air and you will have hiccups. Cause and effect! So now in your unique experience, what is the cause?
Did you make a bad decision based on faulty assumptions? Is this hiccup a result of a bad choice? Did you underestimate the capital requirement for the project you have undertaken? Maybe it’s your business partner, whose reticence made your miss your project execution deadline?
To find the cause of your hiccups you need to dig beneath the surface and ask ‘why, what, who, when’ and other similar questions. No one ever did an autopsy without getting close and personal with the body. So you cannot stand at a distance and do your post mortem, you have to be elbows deep in your enquiry. If you are unable to ask these questions, you may possibly find yourself repeating your mistakes ever so often.
Be truthful to yourself in response to these questions. Are you [wo]man enough to see yourself as the architect of the hiccups? We all have the singular pleasure of making our own beds in life; but sleep in that badly made bed? Ahhh, therein lies the rub.
Allow me allay your fears; there is absolutely NOTHING WRONG with you being the architect, culprit as long as you are willing and able to own your role and are 150% committed to taking the necessary steps to change the status quo. Do you have what it takes to do it better next time? Are you fully invested in your success to relearn, unlearn and learn relevant skills?
I was a fairly good student in school (I’m being humble, I was grand); but I had this habit of not going over my work before submission. Review was not in my vocabulary; I did the exercise (fast), submitted and went on to the next exam. Guess what? When the papers were marked and I had sit in class with my teacher and other students, I realized that the lost marks were usually because of carelessness.
Going over, or what you may call review of every element of your project will reveal something about how you operate that may inadvertently be sabotaging your success. When you experience hiccups, you need to go over your actions to discover weaknesses in your narrative, perspective, perception, execution, capacity, partnerships, resources etc. This is the only way you can make it right. You do not want to have to fail the exam and carry over the course, do you? Then pay attention and review.
A while ago I had a hiccup episode, it seemed to last for hours; I sipped water slowly from a cup, held my breath, ripped so many strings of thread from a random piece of cloth I had lying around you would think I tangled with Peter Parker (Spiderman) …all to no avail. The hiccups were so bad; I started to cry (awww)! I felt so helpless, uncomfortable and discouraged. So with tears in my eyes I went to my mum. She administered the water therapy (again), but this time it was insipid water and she made me drink in one continuous stream, but sllloowwwly. You see, that’s the trick…insipid water, ingested slowly is what works (at least for me…and this is now my remedy for hiccups).
The point here is that when you encounter hiccups in your success journey, you most likely will need to help and direction of someone with experience and know how. Some people say that getting a coach or mentor to help you through sticky situations is passé, but I assure you it is NOT! Most people who have made something of their lives all at one point had coaches/mentors – from Darren Hardy to Oprah; from Napoleon Hill to Madeleine Albright. Smart people learn from others who have gone ahead, that way they avoid the regular mistakes everyone normally would make and exponentially increase their probability of success.
Investing in a coach is a smart move. Spending time (another investment) with a mentor is a sign that you are serious about success. Your coach/mentor will probably see stuff you did not consider that caused your hiccups, and will help you come up with a strategy to recalibrate and hit your bullseye. You will come up with a strategy that will leave competitors gasping for their own sips of water.
Another benefit of having a coach/mentor is that they will not let you give up or throw in the towel. They will believe in you and when your tank is low on enthusiasm and staying power, and when your vision seems more like a pipe dream than an actual realizable mission, these are the people that will give you the kick in the pants you need to keep moving. Oh! Did you think I would say they would nurture you, hold your hands, kiss your booboo, or rub your head? You may have some coaches/mentors that may try this, but the best will give you a kick in the caboose and tell you stuff that will reignite your vision and sense of urgency. The best coaches/mentors are those who are not afraid to hurt your feelings, your success is more important than any temporary feeling or emotional outburst. So, get a coach…today!
You know what? Hiccups will come; you will stumble, fall and miss your way on your journey to success; and how your react to these hiccups will determine just how much of a success you are. Will you fold and go home; after all you gave it your best shot? Or will you keep at it, dig deep, prune and work that dream until you bring that piñata down? What will it be?
Your success is dependent on what you do when you encounter an obstacle, a challenge, a detour, and hiccup. Next week I will offer a simple solution that will help overcoming the negative self-talk that depletes your resolve, gain the impetus to nix whatever challenge or roadblock aka hiccup.
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