Do you want to discover your true self? Be willing to fail. John Killinger once said, "Failure is the greatest opportunity I have to know who I really am" (quoted by John C. Maxwell in Failing Forward).
Often great achievement only happens through experiencing great failure, for failure helps you discover your true self. John James Audubon's life is an example of this. During most of his early adult life he tried to build several businesses but he failed miserably.
Meanwhile Audubon relaxed by painting birds and hunting. However everything changed when he discovered that painting birds was his true talent. He eventually published the book, "Birds of America" and the rest is history.
Everything changed for Audubon when he was willing to change. This is the key. If I want to change my situation, I must first change myself. Maxwell quotes Rudolf Dreikurs, director of the Alfred Adler Institute of Chicago who stated that "We can change our whole life and the attitude of people around us simply by changing ourselves."
People often hesitate making a change because they can't imagine having a different experience. Or they believe that they should follow a specific path or job, even if it doesn't suit their true talents (like John Audubon). They fail because they aren't working in their strength areas. Other people are unaware of their strengths and continue doing the same things even though they are unsuccessful.
Does this describe you? Do you continue to experience failure in the same area? Maybe it's time to discover yourself. In order to achieve your potention, you have to know your true self. You also need to be aware of your weaknesses. Take the time to do some self-assessment.
Begin by Googling "self-assessment" to find some free self-assessment tools online. Work through a few assessment exercises to identify your strengths and weaknesses.
Do you agree with the results of the exercises? List your strengths and weaknesses. Seek the advice and opinions of your close friends.
Is there someone who can help you improve on your weaknesses? Is there a resource that you can access in order to improve your skill in this area.
Also ponder how you can build on your strengths. Who could mentor you? Do you need further training?
Develop a plan to improve your weakness and build your strengths. Create a written plan with specific dates for each step. Take the first step.
As you take that step, you are changing yourself. As you change yourself, you change your world. You are failing forward! You are creating a successful home business!
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