My memory of my father at the dining room table while he completed crossword puzzles still lingers. I remember he worked on them diligently. He even took one on his last hunting trip. In his camper, I found it, alongside his pen. Never finished; missing two answers. His focus on exploration of what he didn’t know helped me stay fresh in his mind.
We can use his idea to solve life’s struggles.
If we view life as a series of tests to be solved or puzzles to complete, the experience becomes helpful rather than a hindrance. The good news is every exam you take is free, and you can have as many retakes as you need.
There is only one final test, on the last day of your life. My dad faced the last exam, and left me to find the answers by the example he left behind.
What can you do?
So, liven up your experiences and turn them into steps toward success. Consider your choices are like questions you create. Some experiences are the result of randomness. When things are beyond your control, you can look at them from either direction.
On one day, it’s like a test of your cleverness. Another day, it might be a test of your perseverance. Either way, the test still has to be taken and passed. A viewpoint in this fashion makes life a little more exciting and less threatening.
Suppose you pass the exams! Fantastic!
If you don’t pass them, that’s fine, too. Failing a test highlights what you need to learn to advance further in life. The idea of fail early, fail often, and fail forward by Will Smith is a dynamic way to consider failures as a growth mechanism.
Consider the advantages of looking at life as a series of creative tests:
View the goals and the obstacles in your life as puzzles to be solved. All puzzles have at least one solution. It doesn’t matter if it’s a crossword puzzle, maze, Rubik’s cube, or any other type of puzzle. It’s a simple puzzle to solve. There is a solution. If you consider it fun to try to figure the solution you’ll feel happier about the obstacle.
You can view your goals and challenges in the same way.
They’re simply puzzles with solutions you have to figure out. Dealing with this type of puzzle can be as enjoyable as any other type of puzzle. It’s ultimately more enjoyable because your life improves when you achieve a goal or overcome an obstacle.
Don’t take it personally.
Think about the last time you completed a word game. You’re not too hard on yourself if you can’t get the last word or two on a crossword puzzle. You might feel a little frustrated, but you don’t feel like a complete failure.
You might even ask someone to help you.
Treat your life the same way. You might not solve the puzzles in your life immediately, but there’s no reason to take it personally. You just haven’t found the solution yet.
The biggest problem is never trying because you’re afraid you’ll fail. If you don’t take it personally, you’ll never be worried about giving your best ideas your best effort. You’ll act.
When you take massive action, you don’t have time to feel like a failure.
Be curious.
Instead of thinking, “I want to make a million dollars, but I’ll probably be a failure and look like an idiot,” think, “I wonder what it takes for the average person to make a million dollars. I’m going to find out!”
Find someone who achieved the goal and then mirror their actions. Notice the word, action? Yes, set into place everything they did, and you may find yourself in a grand achievement!.
Have a curiosity for life and its solutions. Be curious about what it takes to become wealthy, lose weight, have a great relationship, or accomplish whatever you want to achieve.
Create a plan and see if you’re correct. When you had a test in high school, you prepared for the test, took it, and then found out if you were right. As an adult, you formulate a plan, put it into action, and then find out if you’re correct or not.
You adjust your mission with mistakes and successes.
Master the art of failure
Life is a little trickier than high school, but the basic idea is the same. Your results show you how you need to spend your time going forward. Your results will teach you what you need to learn, if you listen.
Poor results mean you need to come up with a new idea. Good results suggest you’re on the right track. Failure is compelling if appropriately used. Master the art of loss to your advantage, and life becomes infinitely more accessible.
When your ego is under fire, take a breath.
Life, when viewed as an adventure, isn’t a scary place to live.
When you life as a series of tests, puzzles, or challenges to overcome, you win. As long as you try, you’ll learn something and eventually be victorious. Everything is an example for you to explore: fail or succeed, you’ll learn.
When you take the life exam, understand if you don’t pass, you’re free to retake the test without penalty. Each time through, you become wiser and skilled. Soon enough, people will be following in your footsteps to succeed.
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This post was previously published on Age of Awareness.
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You may also like these posts on The Good Men Project:
White Fragility: Talking to White People About Racism | Escape the “Act Like a Man” Box | The Lack of Gentle Platonic Touch in Men’s Lives is a Killer | What We Talk About When We Talk About Men |
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