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Bring on the bad news
Tuesday, 18 December 2007
A common problem for people who are unsuccessful is that they slavishly avoid bad news. If such news has to be received, they prefer to put it off as long as possible. Often, they prefer to dodge it altogether.
Successful and competent people aren't afraid of bad news. Indeed, they positively seek it out. Of course, like everyone else, they'd prefer it if no problems existed. But if there are challenges to be dealt with, the successful want to know about them as soon as possible.
That's because a large part of winning is about overcoming such problems. In almost any field you choose to compete in , it's almost certain that a large number of obstacles will be thrown into your path. The way to beat such obstacles is not to ignore them. It's to know as much as you can about them so you can formulate a strategy to defeat them.
Indeed, often, bad news will lead you to stop wasting resources on a futile effort. If you are pursuing a particular goal, and some insurmountable problem stands in your way, wouldn't you prefer to know about it sooner rather than later? That way you can invest your limited time and effort into more worthwhile pursuits.
If you find yourself finding excuses to avoid bad news, force yourself out of this habit. Yes, it's painful, that sinking feeling in your stomach when you find things aren't going as you hoped. And yes, such pain is difficult to invite into your life. But in this situation it's absolutely necessary.
Bring on the bad news. Seek it out. Speculate on its possible sources.
If such news fails to surprise or stop you, you're already a long way down the path towards your ultimate goal.
 | How to find yourself | | Along with the problem of trying to figure out how the world works, we also all have a similar problem of discovering exactly who it is we are. People are always surprising themselves with behavior they didn’t expect and thoughts they feel aren’t entirely in their control. |  | Generally, it's best just to tell people what they want to hear | | Some people live to tell others what they're doing wrong. They see themselves as some sort of ivory-tower dwelling soul, gazing mercifully down on the rest of us and having the generosity to point out our faults when they see it as necessary. I'm sure you meet such people all the time. |  | How to get a job paying more than $100,000 a year | | How do people get themselves into a position of earning good incomes at young ages? Why do some people work hard for minimum wage while others have cushy jobs that are well-paid? Most importantly, how can you become one of the latter? | | Becoming more self-absorbed probably isn't going to solve your problems | | There are many books and articles written about how to improve your life. Many focus on changing what's going on inside your head. They want you to think more positively, change your inner conversation, and carefully examine your past. In general, they have one thing in common, they want you to become more self-absorbed. |  | The easiest way to fool smart people | | There’s a saying among con-men that smart people are easier targets, because they don’t think they can be conned. I’m not sure if that’s true, but there’s one scam that’s almost guaranteed to make smart people switch off their brains and reach for their wallets. | | You can't trust people with money | | What is it with money that makes otherwise good people lose all moral perspective? The dubious real-estate agent may well be a good and trustworthy friend away from the office, but he'll tell his clients anything to get a few extra dollars out of them. |  | Evidence that success comes from self-discipline | | An interesting experiment on the nature of success was started by psychologist Walter Mischel at Stanford University in the 1960s. He decided to test the self-discipline of children at an early age, then trace their relative success as their lives went on. |  | If you have a problem, look in the mirror first for its source | | Consider the following scenario. Mr Smith has been a dedicated employee at a big company for over fifteen years. He has a mortgage, two children at private school, and a nice car, all paid for with debt. | | Understanding the games people play | | A very interesting book, for anyone who's interested in the psychology of human relationships, is Games People Play by Eric Berne. Dr Berne is a psychiatrist who developed the theory of transactional analysis, which looks at the ways people interact with one another. Specifically, he's interested in the psychological games people play. | | Whatever you say or do in this world, someone will strongly disapprove | | Wouldn't it be great if everyone just loved us and thought everything we did and said was right? What an easy life that would be. Unfortunately, this isn't going to happen any time soon. Pretty much anything you do or say is going to make somebody angry, upset, or despairing of your intelligence and sanity. |
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