Engage With Exponential Effort

“Success consists of going from failure to failure without loss of enthusiasm.”

Winston Churchill

Exponential Effort is a mindset that is prepared for failure. The more rapidly the environment is changing, and the bigger goals we attempt, the more failures there will be. These failures range from small and and manageable to epic and crushing. Failures also run along a continuum in terms their source - some are outside our control, while many other failures are squarely our own damn fault!

Our overall attitude towards failure is incredibly important when it comes to life and to ROCKET Goals in particular.

When we let failure expand into a giant ball of negative energy, it spills over into many different directions that make us unhappy, and majorly derails and/or totally blows up our ROCKET Goals. Notice how failure can take up the entire field of reference and lead to “set in stone” conclusions about our identity and self-worth. This frame of reference also makes it incredibly challenging to keep trying.

On the other hand, when we inject failure with positive energy as a natural part of the goal setting process, things look very different. Failure does not have the same chaotic energy and finality, and it is channeled in completely different and more potent ways. Positive failure is a contained and clean burning engine to fuel you forward, rather than an all-encompassing radioactive pile of self destruction. Acts of God are not taken personally, and personal failures are seen as momentary rather than becoming a fixed self-assessment. Starting from this frame of reference, we can start learning how to run from failure to failure without loss of enthusiasm - and without fear of failing yet again.

Failure and success are constantly playing out as we run our particular race. Here are some photos from the Mens 10,000 meter race at the 2016 Rio Olympics. About half-way through the race, Mo Farrah takes a nasty fall and lands sprawled across the lanes. He proceeds to give a masterclass on dealing with failure. Perhaps we can glimpse what it takes to be one the greatest distance runners of all time…

Learning to run from failure to failure with great enthusiasm does not come naturally - but it begins with a core understanding about how to approach failure. The next time you fail, step back and think about how you react. Is this yet another setback in your endless unlucky streak, or an exciting chance to get up and start again, better and faster than before?

What if the more failures you’ve endured, the more energy you have stored up for an epic comeback? What if future failures will energize you with determination rather than crush you with self-doubt? What if the faster you work through the failures, the faster you reach success? What if success and failure are just the inevitable by-products that happen when you launch an epic ROCKET Goal with Exponential Effort?