Success is so overrated. If it were easy, everyone would be doing it. Settle for 2nd or even 3rd Place. Life's too short to struggle and stress trying to win.
The Necessities For Failure
The first necessity is the right attitude. Notice that I did not say "correct" attitude. That's because whatever is "right" for you may not be "correct" for someone else. One of the best attitudes is interested-but-not-engaged-or-committed. This leaves you a lot of wiggle room if you feel even the slightest discomfort.
It's important to realize that being competitive ensures that someone has to lose. Being able to live with that eventuality and even embrace it will make your life easier. Stop trying so hard and you'll find that you can coast along quite well for quite awhile.
To achieve this highly evolved state of complete failure is simple: quit caring. Don't just say you quit caring, you have to put your heart into it. It's not as hard as it sounds and you will feel much better once you've left all the other cares behind by simply dropping them from your existence.
Another necessity is looking out for Number One; that's you. Sure, there are other people on the planet, but who cares? (See above paragraphs for refresher.) Their problems, needs, desires, continued existence are outside of your own and are only to be taken into consideration if they are blocking anything you deem as potentially making you happier.
Let's recap. The necessities are:
- An attitude that works for you
- A non-Compete agreement with yourself and others
- A commitment to not caring
- A commitment to look out for Number One
This puts you well on the road to successfully failing at anything, anytime, anywhere, with anyone for any reason. You thought it would be harder, didn't you?
Creative Failing
Failing is easy as we've seen thus far, but what about failing where you have natural talents, abilities, and skills that are already known and demonstrated? Again, failing is not as hard as it seems initially. Simply fail and be happy about it! Sure, it will confuse others but we don't care about them, do we? See the universal beauty of incorporating the Necessities into your daily life? Stop being a perfectionist or even an average producer at work and home and soon others will stop expecting much of you at all. This happens automatically and in a very short period of time.
Failing At Failing
Some people ask if this is even possible. To be clear: it simply is not. It's impossible not to fail no matter how hard or how many times you try. You will, eventuality, inevitably fail. It's not that you've failed, it's how you failed that is the lesson. Remember it well and it will get easier each and every time you do it until it is second nature to you.
Failing As A Personal Philosophy
Once you begin to see failure for what it really is: the opportunity to relax, take time out, reassess your position, your job, your relationships, your whole life you'll find that it will make your entire being more attractive to you and, possibly, others as well. Once it becomes your whole philosophy you'll be able to take on any new challenge with utter abandon or concern. Your life will flow like a mountain stream as everything rolls off your back effortlessly.
Succeeding At Failing
This isn't as hard as it sounds. Once you have the ability to fail in almost any situation life confronts you with you'll see that failing is always an option. You won't find any situation where failure isn't an option so you can stop caring or worrying about that right now. Over time more people will ask less of you much more often. You'll find all the annoying, nagging demands put on you diminish until you're free to do anything with each and every second of each and every day. Congratulations! You've made it! You are now a complete failure.
