What's Your Attitude to Setbacks
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Vincent would like to establish his own business, but he’s afraid he won’t succeed. Marion would like to return to school, but she fears she may fail.

Abraham Lincoln failed in business, and was defeated in races for Congress, the Senate and Vice President. Thomas Edison had 10,000 trials before inventing the light bulb. Did you learn to walk or ride a bike without falling?

What’s your attitude toward setbacks? Do you persist? Learn from them? Or do you hesitate to pursue challenging projects because you fear failure? Is your attitude toward your career mastery or helplessness?

What does this quiz say about you?
Answer “yes” or “no:” I …
1. Downplay successes.
2. Believe errors are part of the learning process.
3. Choose the easiest path to avoid failing.
4. Focus on my strengths and successes.
5. Worry about what others think.
6. Believe success is the result of hard work and persistence.
7. Give up when I’ve made a mistake.
8. Work harder when I’ve made a mistake.
9. Believe the only thing that matters is the final product.
10. Do what I think I should.

Scoring: One point for each “yes” to even numbered questions, and each “no” to odd numbered ones. Add scores.
8 or higher: You accept mistakes as part of growth. You seek knowledge and challenges and feel good about accomplishing a difficult task well. You’re mastery oriented; focus on learning and effort.
4 to 7: You may view failure as part of the learning process; or worry about what others think. Modify your perceptions of success. Focus on strengths and accomplishments.
3 or lower: You downplay strengths, fear mistakes and worry how others judge you. You give up too easily when you have setbacks. Change perceptions.

Develop a Success Mindset
- Enhance confidence. Acknowledge your accomplishments and personality strengths. List all accomplishments in prior jobs, community and home endeavors, school, athletic and social endeavors. Post it where you can read it daily.

Reward yourself. Every time you pull through a challenging experience, treat yourself.

State positive affirmations daily. Say, “I am learning to accomplish …. easily and effortlessly…” or whatever you want to say. When you catch yourself speaking negatively, say, “Cancel,” and replace it with a positive word or phrase.

Believe you can make good things happen. Own your successes. Review your list of accomplishments. Remember times you felt the sense of mastery!. These are the result of efforts and abilities. Note what you did that contributed toSetbacks, Attitude your success.

Think for yourself. Make your own decisions. There are few wrong decisions, just different results.

Persevere. Note how can you improve your latest project? Set your own criteria for measuring effectiveness.

- Have an optimistic outlook. See the glass half full. Reinforce the positive in yourself and others. View failure as a temporary setback. Look for and expect good things.

- Emphasize task mastery. Consider money or objects by-products of accomplishing goals, not ends. What can you do to develop a better product or service?

Remember, setbacks are part of success. As Albert Einstein stated, “Failure is success in progress.” Think about opportunities you’ll miss if you don’t try and persist!