Good evening, bloggers, and happy Saturday! Awhile back, I started perusing some non-fiction titles that have been sitting on my bookshelves. (When you accumulate so many books, it becomes hard to decide what to read; for me, anyhow.) Fail More, by Bill Wooditch, has been staring at me, so I read it.
Fail More is about learning from your failures and asking yourself how you can improve from them. Instead of kicking yourself from making a mistake or two, you can make a list of what needs more work. It’s about learning how to also deal with rejection in healthy ways, as well as examining your personal fears in order to have control over them. The author also talks about the importance of setting goals, large and small. While it’s important to set goals, the author reminds us that we need to “establish one major goal and separate that goal from all the other hobbies that seem like a goal.” That’s something I’ve been thinking about after reading that line. In that particular chapter, the author mentions how common it is that lots of people chase after too many goals, which eventually leads to burnout. With so many goals, the person becomes overwhelmed that they don’t end up accomplishing at least one goal, so that’s why it’s important to set one major goal.
What I also like about the book is that it reminds us that in order to succeed, we have to be prepared to fail. We’re going to make mistakes. We’re going to get rejected. We’re going to have distractions, as well as deal with uncertainties, fears, etc. Failure isn’t the end. It’s okay to feel disappointed during a failure, but as long as you don’t let it define you.
Fail More has been a big help since I’ve taken on more responsibilities at my job. Now that I’m moving up and learning more, this book has knocked a little sense into me. Recently, I nearly kicked myself for falling behind on one of my important, monthly projects because I didn’t properly communicate to my employers what I needed for it. But I reminded myself, later on, that it was going to be fine. My employers didn’t wag their fingers at me, they didn’t get angry at me. Everything was handled properly. My colleague, in fact, reminded me that we all mess up, but we’ll always improve. I made a mental goal to work on proper communication, when necessary, instead of being afraid. I can’t let some things ruin my entire day.
Whether you’re trying to improve in the workplace, start a business, etc., I recommend Fail More. Although I love my novels, I’m also making it a goal to read more non-fiction. Feel free to post your comments. Happy reading!
About the author: Bill Wooditch is the founder and CEO of The Wooditch Group, a risk-management and corporate insurance firm with annual sales of $100 million. He works with Fortune 500 companies like AIG, Old Republic, Zurich, and Bank of America to improve their sales and leadership. For more info, click here.
Just a Thought 