There are many reasons for failure, some are obvious, for example, lack of preparation for a task, and some not so obvious, such as unconscious self-sabotage. When we have a task or project of any kind there are things which we must know and perhaps avoid in order for us to be successful in that task.
Firstly, let’s start with ourselves. Things which we must know about ourselves and take action on before tackling a new venture, or in fact even the same venture, as some people keep repeating their mistakes without taking the time to work out why they fail.
I met a man whose whole life was a series of “failures”, mostly in unfinished tasks. He had no idea why he didn’t complete these tasks, all he knew was that he was a “failure” and he was unhappy with his life.
Every task or project will be different, even repeating the same failed project there will be different circumstances which need to be observed and taken account of.
Here is an outline of things we need to know about ourselves before taking on a significant project or task. Each one of these if unpacked could comprise a paper in itself, but we will just go for the bullet points for now.
Ask yourselves these questions about you:
What are your expectations for this task – are they realistic?
How motivated are you for the job – does it have sufficient “pulling power” for you to do it well and enjoy it at the same time?
Have you got enough time and energy for this NOW?
Does the job have to be done under pressure of a time limit?
Can you handle that amount of stress?
What is your emotional state when you think of the task? Are you in a high state of anxiety, or do you feel extremely stressed?
What pressure/expectation is being put on you by yourself, your boss, or even your parents to do this job and do it well or perfectly?
Have you accepted all that without thinking of the consequences?
Do you normally have the good habits and mental focus to achieve something like this?
Are you easily distracted or in poor health?
Can you get a decent night’s sleep when you think of this job, or does this increase your anxiety and cause insomnia?
Are you usually perfectionistic?
Do you have a low frustration tolerance if things don’t go to plan?
Do you have a tendency to take on too much so as not to offend others or to prove yourself?
Will your finances and resources cope with this extra demand?
You may be able to think of further aspects of yourself which need to be thought about in order to take on extra work and succeed in it according to the situation. When I returned to university after years of childrearing I knew that in order to succeed I needed a car, some money and a babysitter. They were three major and basic requirements which underpinned my long-term success, as I did my uni work part-time. There were probably many other factors that I did not think of at the time because I wasn’t used to thinking things out in those days!
Ask yourself these questions about others involved, and the situation. If you are working on a joint project with others, particularly people you don’t know well it is a good idea to find out a bit about their attitudes and feelings about the project. If you were looking for a tradesperson to do some job for you at home you would check them out as much as you could before parting with your hard-earned cash. If you hired someone who was not up to the job and it was not done well the consequences would be that you would not feel personally responsible, and would not feel a failure, but you would be disappointed or angry.
Things useful to know about others:
Their general attitude and motivation
Their history of working as a team if you can acquire this
Do they understand their part in the project?
Do they have a clear goal or action plan?
What experience do they have in this type of situation?
Are they emotionally and behaviourally responsible?
Are they self-directed or do they need supervising?
Are they committed to the project?
Do they have skill/experience deficits?
Further questions for you:
Are you knowledgeable about the situation and the environment?
What resources do you need?
What are the time limitations?
Do you have the experience/skills for the task?
Do you have a clear goal and action plan?
Does the project have real pulling power for you at this time?
Are you resistant to change, or do you prefer your comfort zone?
Are you flexible with situations and people?
Are you self-directed or other-directed? That is are you doing this because you really want to do it or because someone else wants you to?
Do you have a low frustration tolerance? That is, do you throw up your hands and stomp off if something doesn’t work first time?
Do you have a long-term view on this project if needed?
Do you lack the ability or experience to take appropriate risks?
These are some of the questions to ask of yourself and about others. These questions may jog you to think of other relevant ones, but if these are considered and acted on then the chance of success is much higher than if they are neglected or not thought of.
The next article in this series will be about preventing failure (as much as possible), and caring for yourself after “failure”.
© K.R. Crawford 2017