In the second part of ‘Dealing With Failure’, we established about five pointers of how I dealt with my failure regarding academia. But someone may ask, are those principles only applicable in academics? To that I say, no! Let’s therefore explore how to apply those principles to two of the principal areas of life; relationships and business. I hope these principles serve you well.
1. Maybe you’re having challenges in your relationship and it’s on the brink of a break-up. How can these problem-solver pointers help you? Let’s see.
You might be blaming yourself and doubt your prowess in love affairs. You’re not a bad lover after all as those negative voices may seem to suggest. You have to remind yourself of the good lover you are. To do this, cast your mind back on all the great healthy times you had together; the walk, the games, the beach etc. Relive those moments. They will bring smiles to your face, and increase your self-confidence.
2. Secondly, ask yourself, “How far do I want to go with this relationship?” If you know you are so committed and willing to make it permanent in the near future, you should do something about it. On the contrary however, if you know deep down your heart that you have no future plan for the relationship, you can gently bow out of it. Of course I know it’s not as easy as it may sound, but of what importance is it going to be to you when you have no plans of making it permanent? Wouldn’t you rather face the pain now, and get it healed in time and move on, than postponing it for the future where you might get hurt the more?
3. Thirdly, seek help from the experts. Seeking help from the experts can be in various forms. It can range from speaking to a certified and trained relationship counselor, reading books on relationships, or listening to audio programs on relationships. It could also be speaking to trusted friends who have your interest at heart; friends who might have suffered similar ordeals and came out strong.
It will amaze you how just a word from a counselor, a book, an audio program, or a trusted friend can turn things around. Don’t shy away from seeking for help from the right people. They help you get a better strategy for success.
4. Finally, put the advice to work. Change the strategy you’ve been using all these while. Or if not to change, modify it to suite your partner’s preferences. Perhaps there are things you were supposed to be doing in a way you don’t. Ask your partner for his/her input. Then when they’re forthcoming with something helpful, add them to your newly devised strategy. Maybe you’ve never been going out with them enough, or you don’t show appreciation when they give you gifts. Be humble to learn if you’re ready to make your relationship work.
These can also be applied similarly to businesses. You might have started your business with very high hopes. You had made all the sales and profit projections, and yet nothing seemed to be working. It’s simply because you might not have known what to do to make them work. Let’s see how these pointers can help.
1. Self-motivate yourself.
The issue of self-motivation applies everywhere. Perhaps when you started initially, things worked well. Relive those moments. They will bring you a feeling of self-worth, and that will promote and boost your self-confidence. Repeatedly remind yourself what a great entrepreneur or business guru you are.
2. Secondly, put the problem into the right perspective.
The feeling of giving up on the business might come to you very readily. But the question is: Is that what you really want? Do you really want to give up on your pursuit of building a successful business? No, I don’t think so. How can the problem be solved in a way not to repeat itself? These are hard questions you’ll have to answer with your staff if you have any. Asking these questions activates your mind to think about possible solutions.
3. Following your putting the problem in the right perspective, don’t end there, seek for help from others. There are a good number of entrepreneurs out there who have suffered very severe losses at one time in business. They’ve learnt their lessons and will be ready to share their knowledge with you. You can also read books on business management, customer relations, pricing et al. There are very fantastic audio programs free on the internet you can access for help.
4. Finally, develop a better strategy. By now you should know that your initial strategy was flawed. It doesn’t mean your business is a bad one. It only means you may need a total overhaul in your strategy, or some modifications. You’ll be stunned at the impressive results and possible cash that you will make. But please remember to send me my share of the profit.
So there you are with pointers as to how to solve any problem in life; no matter the gravity of the problem. It might not be as easy as it appears, but it sure is possible.
God bless you for following this series. I hope they help you in any challenge you face. It’s my prayer, that the Lord Himself sees you through any challenge whatsoever that you’re facing right now in Jesus’ name, Amen!!!
This article was written by;
Jonathan Adzokpe,
Host of Motivational Arena,
A motivational radio talk show
On Nash Radio every Saturday from
10:00 to 11:00 GMT live at www.radionash.com
