Written by: Derick Grant, Executive Contributor
Executive Contributors at Brainz Magazine are handpicked and invited to contribute because of their knowledge and valuable insight within their area of expertise.
I have been extremely fortunate to coach, and help some of the world’s most influential people. There is something over time I noticed about some of the elite-level performers I have worked with. They all have a mindset that failure is a catalyst of their success, instead of a blockage of their dreams.
In school, we are taught that a lesson by the teacher, and within that lesson are the answers that can be applied to a test. So when the student takes the test, the answers have already been supplied, and it’s the student’s responsibility to study to retain the answers for that test. Lesson first, then the test. Under this model, then absolutely failure is a real thing. You should technically pass the test because you have already been given the answers.
In life however, it’s the other way around. You first get the test, hardship, setback, adversity, resistance, etc. Then it is your responsibility to extract the lesson to be learned from the test. But we so often take the model of school and apply it to life. So because I lost my job, or I lost my house, I am viewed as a failure. But the answers as to why you encountered that hardship won’t come until after the hardship. Your responsibility is to now have the right perspective, so you can view the situation as a learning experience. In the athletic world, I need to miss 10 straight shots to bring me to the awareness that there is a flaw in my mechanics. So missing 10 shots isn’t a failure per se, it’s a test for me to extract the lesson to be learned. After the lessons learned are applied, I will be better because of the test I encountered.
I have had my share of experiences that I was always taught were failures. I noticed something after all of these situations though, they always ended up making me better in some way. Over time, I realized that these situations weren’t negative at all, they were the tests that proceeded the necessary information needed for me to continue to elevate and evolve in consciousness. So were they really that bad? Absolutely not! Understanding this, you will see that every situation you ever encounter is really meant for you. Your growth and your development of an elite-level mindset as a human being will always come after hardship or adversity. Once you realize that you can never fail in life, now you can go after your greatest fears head-on. Now go, go be all that you are destined to be! -DG
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Derick Grant, Executive Contributor Brainz Magazine After traveling to 70 different countries, and playing 8 years for the Harlem Globetrotters, Derick Grant set out on a mission to help hundreds of athletes, coaches, and people tap into their infinite seed of greatness. His client base consists of but is not limited to the NBA, WNBA, NFL, executives at Fortune 500 companies. He is an author, TEDx speaker, and revered as one of the most powerful performance mindset coaches in the athletic world. His revolutionary approach to mindset by teaching what the mind is, and how to use it as a tool has helped influenced high achievers across the globe. His podcast, “The Pathway to Your Results”, helps teach people how to find this seed of greatness we all had inside of us.
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