Reboot. Rewind. Restart.
If at first you don't succeed...
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RE: RE
Did you know re is a word? I had no idea.
I’ve used re: as an abbreviation of the word “regarding” at the top of letters - for example, “Re: your order”.
But, I didn’t realize re is an actual word. Did you?
Re is an English preposition in use since at least the 18th century. It means “in the matter of, with reference to.” - Maeve Maddox
You learn something new every day!
RE FAILURE
If you’ve been reading The LIFT for a while now, you may recall the big goal I set for myself this year - The 50 Coffee Adventure.
Back in March, I made the declaration to start + finish this adventure by my birthday.
Well, my birthday is this week + I’m not even close to finishing!
I’m so disappointed in myself!
Do you ever make a promise to yourself + then fail to follow through? Isn’t it annoying?
I’m one of those people you can count on to follow through. I’m dependable. Reliable. Determined. If I say I’m going to do something, I do it.
Personal integrity is super important to me. So, when I fall short or fail to do what I say, it is PAINFUL. Yes, even when it’s something fun like this coffee adventure.
RE FORGIVENESS
How many times do we do this to ourselves? We take on a challenge. We lay out a plan. It goes off course. We feel bad. We let it go. We move on to the next thing.
What about the old saying?
“If at first you don’t succeed, try, try again!”
Instead, we fail, tuck our tail + hope no one notices!
Another thing I have noticed over time is how much stronger my determination is when I am doing something for someone else. I show up for them no matter what, but if I am just doing it for myself, I’m quick to let it go.
I would never intentionally let someone down. Yet, I do it to myself all of the time.
The problem is, that every time we drop the ball on a promise to ourselves, we lose confidence in ourselves. We lose trust in ourselves. Eventually, we can’t believe anything we tell ourselves.
That’s why it’s so important to circle back + revisit any promise we have made to ourselves that we didn’t keep.
Why did it fall apart? Were we not committed to begin with? We our expectations too high? Was our timeline too ambitious? Did we need help? Did our priorities change?
They say all learning comes from failure. But, that’s not really true.
Learning comes from doing something. Over and over. Until we learn it.
Learning comes from trying - which requires a lot of restarts, rewinds, and reboots.
RE START
When things get hard or go wrong, it is often easier to write it off as failure than to give it another shot.
But, where’s the learning in that?
The older we get, the harder it gets to learn. Not because we are not capable of learning, but because we don’t like failure. We don’t like screwing up. We don’t like repeats. We’d much rather do the thing we already know how to do well.
As I end this most recent lap around the sun, I’m giving myself permission to start again. To pick up where I left off. To revisit dreams I’ve set aside. To look at my failures. To use them to find new approaches. To remember. Revisit. Reevaluate. Remind. Rearrange. Recalibrate. Regroup. Repurpose. Reinvent. Revive.
And, for now, that starts with the coffee adventure.
If we haven’t had coffee together yet in 2022, let’s get it on the calendar. Hit reply + I’ll forward my calendar to you so we can find a date.
It’s never too late to start again.
YOUR MISSION:
This week, I challenge you to resuscitate a project you left hanging. Give yourself the chance to try again. To revisit the spark that got you started. To pick up where you left off. To reboot. Rewind. Restart.
If I can do it, so can you!
IN SUMMARY:
I hope you’ll use August to do a little bit of rebooting. Whether you are taking that last vacation or gearing up for kids going back to school, use this time to check in + see where you have gotten off course. Do a little realigning. Get ready to finish the rest of the year with renewed energy + hope.
See you next week?
Meanwhile - you can read thru the archives here. And, please reach out to me anytime!
Email: karen@becounter.com
Instagram: @redefiningkaren
Well here I thought I was just about perfect --- then I Re Thought and discovered I really need to
reboot, rewind and restart!! Actually on a few things. Thanks for The Lift Karen, I will get busy!
Wow! It took about 3 seconds for me to think of a few projects I want to REvisit! And I did not know that RE Is an actual word. Great article — thank you!