Feedback not Failure

As we approach the middle of the year, we tend to reflect back on the goals we had set at the start of the year, from personal development goals to relationship goals.

I recently did my reflections using a template as a metric for how I measure my life. I got this from a book titled - The 5am Club by Robin Sharma. I highly recommend this book by the way.

But before getting into the details, I want to quickly explain the title - Feedback not failure. You could probably guess where I'm going with this, but maybe you haven't seen it written in this way before.

Failure is simply when you stop trying, not when things do not work out. So as long as you keep trying it's just feedback (positive and negative). Just like the way we would ask our more experienced colleagues for tips to improve our presentation skills or when we look in the mirror to assess our 'gains' and progress at the gym.

So no matter how harsh it seems, it's really all just feedback and the earlier we 'fail', the more time we have to adapt and improve.

---

How will you measure your life?

My response to this question is a reflection across multiple lenses of life. This allows me to take a holistic approach to constantly improving myself. There are multiple examples of very successful people (career success) not being able to succeed in their relationships and compromising on their health.

But it doesn't have to be the case.

So every once in a while I take 'meter readings' on my mindset, heartset, healthset and soulset (in no particular order).

Mindset

Most people are very familiar with this one, it has to do with psychological aspects of progress. To assess this, we may find ourselves asking questions like:

• How do I get better in delivering excellent results for my clients?

• Is this where I belong, if not, what do I need to do to get there?

• What books should I read to improve my understanding on subject x?

• What is my purpose in life?

Heartset

This is the emotional aspects filled with relationships with friends, family and partners. We may see ourselves asking questions like:

• How can I get closer to my grandma?

• What are the things in my romantic relationships I would like to improve on?

• How do I become a better dad for my daughter?

Healthset

This is a measure of your physical fitness and health. Some example questions include:

• How do I gain a bit of muscle or lose a bit of fat?

• How do I get better at playing basketball?

• I just need to go to the gym 4 times a week, then I'm good, right?

Soulset

This is a measure of your spiritual connection with God. It is often achieved through religion and meditation.

• What key principles do I want to live my life by?

• How often do I want to connect with God each day?

• How do I tap into the power of the universe?

Finally, just because I love quotes I'll end with one from The 5am Club.

All change is hard at first, messy in the middle and gorgeous at the end. Everything you now find easy you first found difficult.

So for everyone doing mid-year reflections and need a gentle shove to keep going, remember that we are only at the messy middle and its ok for things not to have gone exactly as planned. But here's your sign to keep going!