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When Something Doesn’t Work, See an Opportunity Instead of Failure

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Things in life don’t always work out the way that you want them to. Sometimes it’s small snags or setbacks. In other cases disaster can strike – such as the COVID pandemic – and can put you into a state of feeling trapped, lost, and scared. While any level of failure or problems we run into will sting, it’s important for you to seek opportunity during those moments and times. This is something that I constantly do by reminding myself:

When something doesn’t work, I choose to see this as an opportunity rather than failure.

Here is how you can rewire your brain to create the breakthroughs that you need to overcome these failures.

An Opportunity For A Fresh Start

One of the marvels of our society is that we continue to develop at faster and faster paces. Even during times where it feels like we’re not going very far, there are many opportunities for us to do things. Things that once were mere thoughts have now been our reality. Time and again, people have broken boundaries and stereotypes alike. The amazing thing about all this is that this has nothing to do with our age or education. All that you have to do is hone your skills and abilities to accept new challenges.

Using The Full Life Framework

The Full Life Framework is what I teach students at the Lifehack Academy to turn their limitations into opportunities. I went from constantly working that put me in a physically compromising position to becoming someone who can strike a balance between work, time with my wife and kids, and being in better physical shape.

You may not be looking for the exact same thing that I am, but this framework can be applied in any aspect of your life. Here is how it’s done.

1. Find THE Opportunity

When a problem presents itself, it’s easy for all of our attention to be focused on that. Rewire your thinking by doing these:

  • Gain new perspectives – Before you can accept new challenges, it’s important to shift your current limitations. Because limitations are what define your current life, you can change your life by changing how you see these limitations. By shaping how you look at things, you can see small actions that could change how you approach problems. Small shifts in self-esteem, confidence, or motivation can make a big difference. 
  • Identify your challenges – These are new paths that you need to face in order to walk down a new path. There are many ways to achieve the same thing in this world. For example, when I suffered from poor posture I could either take up stretches or I could’ve gone to the gym and did strength building amongst many other things. The key is to be aware of what options you have available to you.

Instead of looking at the problem, find ways that can change the situation as you begin to start fresh.

“To succeed, jump as quickly at opportunities as you do at conclusions.” – Benjamin Franklin

2. Plan Your Progress

If you know your values and priorities in life, you’ll have a clear idea of what you want to achieve. For example, when I first started dating my wife, my goal was to make her happy. Once we got married and had kids, my goals shifted to her happiness and being there for my kids. Even though I devoted more time to financially supporting them by working hard, I thought at the time it was for the best. 

Put your values and priorities on paper. Once you know your opportunity, it’s a matter of setting long-term goals with smaller short-term goals that you can work on from month to month.

3. Invest And Prioritize

Next, ensure that you’re putting your time and energy into the plans and goals that’ll shape your new reality. Focus on what you do each moment and make it all count. Creating deadlines can also ensure you know what to prioritize.

4. Use Motivation And Good Habits

Even with all of this progress, it won’t work unless you have good motivational sources and positive habits. Things like goal setting, daily reflections, perseverance, amongst others are key. Also, having clear and personal reasons for doing something creates a solid foundation to start a habit. 

For example, I suffered from severe back pain because of poor posture for years. I’ve greatly improved my back pain (and my posture) by stretching my back and exercising every day to strengthen my back muscles. How I got to doing these exercises was out of my desire to keep up with my kids and be involved in their upbringing.

Even if things don’t go as you originally planned it doesn’t mean it’s over. I believe that there is no specific way for us to be completely stuck in our lives. There is always something that you can do to change.

With this strategy, I encourage you to not let your life pass you by or to give up when problems present themselves. We are capable of great things if we set our minds to it.

Having been listed as Business Week's #4 "Top 24 Young Asian Entrepreneurs," Leon Ho is the Founder and CEO of Lifehack - a productivity blog he started in 2005. He has grown Lifehack into one of the most read self-improvement websites in the world - with over 12 million monthly readers. Grab his latest book The Full Life Essential Guide here.

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Success Advice

Mastering Self-Management for Success: Lessons From Peter F. Drucker

With careers no longer following a straight, predictable path, self-awareness and adaptability are essential for success.

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Peter f drucker lessons
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In today’s dynamic professional world, self-management has become increasingly important. With careers no longer following a straight, predictable path, self-awareness and adaptability are essential for success. (more…)

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Success Advice

How to Ignite the Spark Within for Future Success

All of us come to this world with our own reserve of magic unfortunately, not everyone can unleash it

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Igniting your spark
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What is it that makes some people great leaders while others remain followers? What magic do they have that others don’t? What special blessing gives them the power to bring significant change?  (more…)

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Success Advice

How Your Beliefs Can Supercharge or Sabotage Your Success

Your life is dictated by beliefs and biases that drive your thinking, behaviors, and decisions

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Your Beliefs Can Supercharge or Sabotage Your Success (1)
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Pause for a moment and ponder two pandemic-era beliefs: First, closing schools will control the spread of a serious virus. Second, the consequences of such school closures—particularly social interruption and the prevention of immunity—are worse than becoming sick with the virus. (more…)

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Success Advice

How to Break the Cycles of Mediocrity and Manifest Your Greatness

There is no greatness without becoming and there is no becoming with authenticity

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Image Credit: Midjourney

In just a few weeks, we will be wrapping up 2023. Can you believe it? This year has been absolutely incredible for me.

I have seen amazing doors opened, new relationships formed and I am seeing dreams realized in my life. While this seems like the hallmarks of a great year, this has also been the most challenging year of my life. With all of the change happening in my life, I have been forced out of my comfort zone and challenged to grow in every area of my life.

I can truly say that I have made the most of my moments this year and I have used everything as a catalyst for maximizing my greatest potential.

As a revolutionary leader, I have the pleasure of consulting and advising leaders around the world to fulfill purpose, realize their greatest potential and make an impact.

I want to share some insights with you that will help you to break cycles of mediocrity and manifest your greatness

Everything legal must come through the matrix

I am sure that some of you are wondering why I am using the term matrix. However, what you have to understand is that I am trying to make a highly complex spiritual principle practical to understand.

Regardless of your spiritual beliefs, every life has an origin and I believe that origin is divine and begins with eternity. You are birthed from eternity and into time to fulfill a unique purpose and assignment in your lifetime and generation.

The matrix is simply the portal or vehicle that brings something out of the invisible realm and into tangible form. The problem with much of the teaching today is that it excludes the matrix. We are told to believe that success is instantaneous and overnight.

Nobody talks about how a dream progresses through stages beginning with visualization and ultimately culminating in manifestation. Without a matrix or portal then everything that you attempt to birth and build will be illegal.

The matrix not only makes you legal but it gives you the authority and power to function as the greatest expression of who you were created to be. 

Every matrix has an incubation process

While many people admire and respect me today, I remember a time when nobody knew who I was or the significance of my message. How did I get to where I am today? I got here through an incubation process.

In other words, everything that has been destined for your life is incubating and awaiting a set time of manifestation. The problem is that most people live their entire lives idle and never initiate the incubation process.

What do I meany by that? Most people are living reckless and very few people are living intentionally. I am amazed at the number of people I have conversations with that have no vision, goals or strategies for their lives. They show great promise and they have undeniable potential.

However, without development they will die with their dreams still in them.

Everything that has been destined for your life must be incubated and converted to become realities born to time. 

“Visualize this thing that you want, see it, feel it, believe in it. Make your mental blueprint and begin to build.” – Robert Collier

You must give expression to that which is not yet born to time

When you think about a matrix or a prophetic incubation process, you have to understand that potential is often unrealized and untapped. In other words, your potential is in raw form and your potential cannot serve you as long as it is untapped.

The thing that makes me valuable is that I have the ability to convert potential into power. I have done it in my own life and I have empowered leaders around the world to do the same. How do you convert potential into power?

First, it is important to note that you have to perceive potential. If you cannot perceive your potential then you can never cultivate your potential. In addition, you must take the time to cultivate your potential. We often get excited about our capabilities; however, we never expand our capacity in order to realize our greatest potential.

In other words, the strength of your potential is only discovered through your willingness to stretch. The more we are challenged the more we are empowered to expand our capacity for greatness. Most of all, you must begin to express your potential. The expression of potential is different for every person.

For example, the expression of my potential is best demonstrated through the thoughts, ideas, products, services, books, etc.

For another person the expression of potential may look like a screenplay, artwork, sports, scientific discoveries, medical breakthroughs, etc.

Regardless of the form of expression, I know that you will live empty and unfulfilled until you make the decision to express your potential. The expression of your potential gives voice to your dreams, life to your vision, significance to your moments and activates your true power.

You must manifest your greatness

As a revolutionary thinker and leader, my work has impacted people around the world. I am grateful that my life is a source of empowerment to so many people. However, before anyone could ever benefit from my life, I had to make a non-negotiable decision to become who I was born to be.

I wish I could tell you that this journey is easy and that you will get there overnight. However, in a world that celebrates us for doing we are often criticized for being. As a result, I wasted a lot of time trying to be who other people wanted me to be instead of being who I was born to be.

There is no greatness without becoming and there is no becoming with authenticity. It is through our bravery to be vulnerable that we ultimately manifest our greatness. We do not bless the world by being a duplicate. We bless the world when we honor our difference. When you honor your difference you honor your potential.

Ultimately, your difference is how you manifest your greatness.

When you present anything but your authentic self to the world, you are playing small and you are robbing the world of your significance. Manifesting your greatness requires you to master your gifts.

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