How to Overcome Failures and Succeed: The Prune and Grow Strategy

Apr 9, 2024 | Tip for a Terrific Tuesday

Today I want to share how I overcome failures and succeed.

I’m often asked, what do you do when things in your life don’t work out? Well, one thing I’ve learned is that success is not permanent. Even though you may be successful in one part of your life there’s always another part of your life that you need to work on.

We’re all going to have roadblocks. Think about Thomas Edison. Before he discovered the light bulb, he had 9,999 attempts that it didn’t work. But he didn’t get frustrated. He thought about those as 9,999 experiences that gave him information that he could perfect to move forward.

When we have a stumbling block, we need to take time to see what did we learn from it, and how can we propel ourselves forward when we look at those stumbling blocks. What I found in my own life, and in reading the lives of successful people, that those stumbling blocks can stand as catalyst to propel us forward. But then there are times in our life that things happen, and it may be lost job, lost relationship, or lost income.

Maybe you thought, ‘Oh my god. Is is really bad.’ But then sometimes you have to take out the shears, the cut in shears, and just cut back on that. Don’t focus on it. Because just like a plant, our lives go through pruning phases, and we go through growing seasons.

When things are bad, we have to cut it back. But generally, when you cut something back, guess what? The next phase of life is gonna be a growing season. Because when we cut back a plant by pruning, then it gives it greater growth, and it’s ready to bloom. Because you can think about a lot of times when you’re going through great pain in your life, that great pain is right before you’re ready to blow up and really succeed.

I often say that if it was easy, everyone would be doing it. So those pains prepare us to be able to move forward. So what is the tip today? Don’t get frustrated when you have a roadblock. Just try to nip it in the bud and use the 3 steps that always say n, navigate the possibilities and see the big picture.

I, be inquisitive. Maybe look at the internet and research and see what else you need to do to get around that, uh, stumbling block.

P, put yourself around positive people. That’ll help you to propel forward and keep you positive, so you can overcome failures and succeed. 

 

The Mindset of a Champion

Like many of you, I watched the Olympics. And from this, I wondered, what are the Olympians' mindsets that help them reach their goals? It is obvious that they are able to commit to a long term goal. We see them at the peak of their sport. We don't realize until we...

Prioritize Your Life: Create a New Version of Yourself

If you don't like the person that you are, then you have to start creating a new version of yourself. Remember, the world owes you nothing and if you are going to improve yourself, it's up to you. Follow the first step of the Bragg Factor® and start behaving like the...

Congrats to Coach Dawn Staley and Caitlin Clark:Women’s Basketball

I'd like to say congrats to Coach Staley and Caitlin Clark. Like many of you recently, I know you watched the 2024 women's national basketball tournament. And did you know that more people watch that game than in any professional sports men or females since 2019? It...

Constantly Acknowledge Your Wins

All of us have had setbacks and disappointments and some failures in our life. When we were a child, sometimes when we did things that weren’t right, they were met with great emotional intensity when we made an error or mistake, more so than some of our successes. As...

What is your purpose? Learn from Jalen Hurts

Henry Ford once said, there is no failure except failure to serve one's purpose. Jalen Hurts, the starting quarterback of the Philadelphia Eagles once said that he had his purpose well before others had their opinion that he could not be a starting quarterback in the...

How to Solve Problems

I want to share with you something that happened to me in the office the other day. An elderly woman went in the bathroom, and when she left the bathroom, she locked the door. When another patient wanted to use the bathroom, she couldn't get in. My receptionist said,...

Stand Up in a Group to Boost Confidence

If you're having problems with your self-confidence why not try standing up and asking a question at a public meeting or in a group? By doing this you're making yourself the center of attention for a few minutes. Later you will find that this helps to boost your...

How a 30-Second Brag Helps You Promote Yourself

It's important for everyone to have a 30-Second Bragg to promote yourself with confidence. Here's what Ericka Ward, a workshop participant, has to say about creating a 30-Second Bragg. “Hi. My name is Ericka Ward, and I am the program coordinator for diversity, equity...

You Need to Express Love

Today, I heard an old song that goes, "it takes a fool to learn that love don't love nobody." When I thought about that I was reminded of the fact that in order for people to know that you love them, you have to take time to express love. Because love doesn't love...

Do you know what millionaires do every day?

Did you know what successful people do every day? Let me give you three tips. They wake up early every morning. Secondly, they read a lot. Research says they read about 30 minutes every day. Warren Buffet, a self-made billionaire says that reading has been the most...

How to Start Believing in Yourself

Are you reaching your goals? What are you doing in the morning when you wake up? It is important to look in that mirror and to believe in the person that you see and to tell that person when you get up in the morning that you can accomplish your goals. Write down your...

How to reach your goals quickly

I want to give you three tips to help you accomplish your goals. 1. Begin with the end insight 2. Be proactive 3. Begin each day visualizing your goals and work at them every day. If you can do these three things, you can accomplish any of your goals quickly

Do you want maximum confidence?

You know, we’re living in difficult times, and when you hear the news, read the paper, read a magazine, we hear nothing but painful, awful things. And so it makes us feel gloomy. It makes us feel like there is no good. And as a result, I want to encourage you to...

Take Time to Show Gratitude to Family and Friends

I hope that you spent time this weekend celebrating Memorial Day with your family and your friends. And that you took time to be grateful for those who have served this country that allows us to have the Freedoms that we have. With all of the tragedies that we've had...

Control Your Mindset Like a Thermostat and Control Your Environment

It's time to learn how to control your mindset to control your environment. Sometimes when we don't feel good and don't feel happy, we want to blame others for how we feel. The truth is we have to control our own happiness. You know, you could either be a thermometer...

How to Turn Failure Into a Success

No one likes to fail. I know I don't. But there are some good things that we can learn from failure that will allow us to fail forward. In fact, successful people study their failures so that they can take what they learned from them to move forward. Because if we are...

Struggling to Keep Your Resolutions or Other Goals? Tips to Help You

You know, to begin the year, we all set resolutions, and research says that by the end of the month, most of us have given up on those resolutions. But what I ask you to do is this: if you see yourself not moving toward your goals and starting to get out of the...

How to Train Your Brain and Have a Good Day!

I'm excited today to be at the Hampton Roads Chamber of Commerce, talking about my new book, Dreams Without Goals Are Nightmares: How to Use the Bragg Factor to Reach Your Goals in Record Time. You know, it is important for you to reach your goals in record time to...

Do you need to be more consistent?

As we enter into the new year, I want you to think about the word consistent. What does it mean to be consistent? It means to act or do things in the same way. Over time, when we think about our goals, often we know how to do what we want to do and we know what we...

Goals Must Be Specific

Sometimes we are afraid to take on new responsibilities because of our fear of failure. Sometimes we don't know how to get started because we don't know how to initiate the first step. At other times our lack of success or procrastination is because we don't have a...