"You should learn to grow from your disappointments...not hide from them!" - Futurist Jim Carroll
Life is a series of massive successes punctuated by moments of letdown.
Isn't that the way it works?
What keeps innovators going is their ability to bounce back from the latter. They don't let the lows define their highs. They refuse to allow the setbacks to define their steps forward. They never permit the failures to define their success.
This is the essential thinking of the innovator, the individual tuned into tomorrow, the person who lets their determination guide their future. I've covered this type of thinking before, since it seems to be core to who I am, what I do, and the message I share. I dug into the database of Daily Inspiration posts -there are over 2,324 of them so far - and here are the ones that tie into this type of thinking. (This is #2,325!)
- "'Later' is the graveyard where great ideas go to die!"
- "In the absence of clarity, taking initiative today is significantly better than finding a perfect plan tomorrow!"
- "My optimism is my oxygen, the fuel for my future, the pathway to my purpose."
- "Past success doesn't guarantee a future of winning. Resting on one's laurels is perhaps the best method to place oneself at the greatest risk in the future."
- "Celebrate your flaws and highlight your mistakes - because one day soon, they will become your key currency for success!"
- "It might be easier to deal with the hard stuff if you accept that the hard stuff is not going to be easy."
- "When certainty becomes too uncertain, adaptability becomes your biggest opportunity."
- "Guess what? If you didn't do anything today to get out of your rut, it just became deeper!"
- "Fall in love with your mistakes. Don't be scared of making mistakes—be terrified of not making enough of them! Early failure isn't your enemy; it's your teacher. A failure while trying beats failing to try every single time."
- "The future belongs to those who shape it, not those who fear it."
Do you sense a theme here?
But wait, there's more!
- "The future is a series of massive successes punctuated by moments of letdown. What keeps innovators going is their ability to bounce back from the latter. They don’t let the lows define their highs. They refuse to allow the setbacks to define their steps forward. They never permit the failures to define their success."
- "Don't just think outside the box - live there!"
- "To invent the future, you must be willing to throw away your past."
- "The future is something you create, not something that happens to you."
- "If you want to change the world, you have to be willing to be changed by it."
- "The best way to predict the future is to invent it."
- "The future is not a place we are going to, but a place we are creating. The paths to it are not found, but made, and the activity of making them changes both the maker and the destination."
- "The only thing that is constant is change."
- "The future is not some place we are going to, but one we are creating. The paths are not to be found, but made, and the activity of making them changes both the maker and the destination."
The way I see it, the future isn't some destination you're heading towards; it's something you're building with your own two hands, right now. Life is going to throw curveballs at you—that's a guarantee. You'll have big wins and moments that feel like a total letdown. The secret is not to let those letdowns define you. Don't hide from your disappointments or your mistakes. Instead, you've got to learn from them, grow from them, and use them as fuel.
Think of it this way: failure isn't your enemy, it's your teacher. The people and companies that really succeed are the ones who aren't afraid to mess up. They try new things, they take risks, and when they fall, they bounce back stronger. Don't wait around for someone to tell you what's next. By the time a trend is obvious, the opportunity is already gone. You have to anticipate what's coming and be bold enough to shape it yourself. So, stop fearing the future and start creating it.
It's how you define yourself that will define who you are.
Define appropriately!
Futurist Jim Carroll works hard to define himself each and every day.