F.A.I.L. - First Attempt At Learning
Jennifer Anderson, October 17, 2021
“Success is not final; failure is not fatal: It is the courage to continue that counts.”
- Winston S. Churchill
F.A.I.L.
What comes to mind when you hear the words “failure”, “failing”, or “fail”?
Unsuccessful.
Irreparable.
Irreversible.
Flunked.
Pessimism.
Inadequate.
Unrecoverable.
Doomed.
...
Whatever word comes to mind, it’s likely and immediately conjuring up negative feelings.
That’s natural. The key to turning a negative into a positive, is to quickly shift from negative feelings to optimistic, positive feelings.
- o What am I feeling now?
- o How do I want to feel about this experience?
- o How can I turn this negative into a positive?
- o What am I learning from this experience?
- o What will I do differently in the future?
- o How can I share this experience and lessons learned with others?
- o How will I handle myself when I encounter similar situations in the future?
What if I considered this “fail” not a failure but instead a F.A.I.L.: First Attempt At Learning?
Wow!
What would it be like if we all approached failure as the “First Attempt At Learning”?
What if we extended this grace not only to ourselves but to others?
What have you considered a failure? Now, what does that failure look like through the lens of F.A.I.L.?
F.A.I.L. = First Attempt At Learning
Thank you for reading! I am an ICF Professional Certified Coach (PCC) specializing in Performance Coaching for Senior Executives, Flag Officers, and STEM professionals, and mental fitness for all. Don’t miss out on information and techniques that can take you to the next level. Schedule your one-on-one coaching here!