Step away
Recently, my struggle to finish the ThoughtLetter made me realize the importance of stepping away. I was trying hard to write and re-write the same thing in different ways but it did not help until I forced myself to take a short break and move from my desk to do something. Mental pause allows us to step back and unclog our thoughts which helps us see things from a different angle to move ahead. Stepping away is not about giving up but temporarily letting go to come back to solve the problem.
“When we reach an impasse at any point in the creative process, it can be helpful to step away from the project to create space and allow a solution to appear.” – Rick Rubin, American record executive and producer
Allow don’t try
‘Try to relax’ is the usual suggestion when stressed about something. However, the harder you try the more difficult it becomes. Once my driving instructor taught me how to relax without teaching me. She suggested, “It is okay if you want to pause. It is okay if you want to go slow”. Her suggestions made me feel that it is indeed ‘okay’ to slow down and pause. I effortlessly got into a relaxed driving. Relaxation happened when I allowed myself to relax, not when I tried to make it happen.
“Relaxation happens only when allowed, not as a result of trying or making.” – W. Timothy Gallwey, Inner game of tennis
Relationship with failure
Being an entrepreneur/ solopreneur teaches you firsthand how to deal with headwinds and failures. Our relationship with failure need not be negative. My friend, who calls himself, a former failed entrepreneur, recently gave me valuable advice on dealing with failures.
1) Do not allow the anxiousness of failure to ruin your efforts
2) Each time something does not work, see what you can learn from it
3) Be willing to accept the failure wholeheartedly and move on
Our value is not determined by our success and accomplishments alone. Our value is enriched by those failures which happened despite our sincere efforts.
“Ever Tried, Ever Failed, No Matter. Try Again, Fail Again, Fail Better” – Samuel Beckett, Irish novelist, dramatist and theater director