Want To Succeed? Step one: Fail

This is one of my favourite quotes at the moment.

"Success can only be achieved with a kind of pioneer spirit and the repeated use of three tools: failure, introspection and courage."
- Soichiro Honda.

It sums things up so well, and particularly in my life. Well, more specifically a pattern of behaviour that many of us get in to - I know I have got myself into problems before by engaging in this. Maybe I will again, though hopefully I'll make it OK that I do....!

Basically it's when we make mistakes in life, but beat ourselves up about it, instead of cutting ourselves some slack. Comparing ourselves to others, blaming ourselves when we have hindsight about how we could have done better, how we should have done it differently are all too easy to do, but longer term are much less healthy approaches. Remember: The only thing you should be comparing is meerkats.

I won't go into details, but let me tell you I have learned the hard way how destructive it is to spend too much time criticising yourself (in a bad, non constructive way).

Don't do it. Accept we all make mistakes. In fact, allow yourself to do something essential: Let compassion for yourself reign.

You live, you learn.