Learning from "Others"

"Learning is like rowing upstream. Not to advance is to drop back."

- Chinese Proverb

When I was flying in the Navy, I was constantly learning. In flight school, every single event was a test, with my instructor observing and grading each move I made. And when I joined my operational squadron, the learning continued. After spending hours, sometimes even days, planning a mission, we would fly that mission and then return to the ready room for a debrief. Two words would be written on the white board: Goods and Others.

Last week, we reflected on the "Goods" of 2008, and this week, we'll take a look at the "Others."

Failure is not often taken lightly. We might get into a slump, beat ourselves up for the silly missteps we made, or look for a scapegoat. But there is another way to work with failure. Instead of feeling frustrated or depressed about our loss, we can turn our attention to the lessons embedded in the experience. Consider your biggest disappointment in 2008, and answer these questions to help you learn from the "Others":

1) How did your weaknesses hinder you?
2) Which of your strengths might you use to overpower the negative impact of your weaknesses?
3) What advice would you give to yourself about how to handle a similar situation in the future?
4) What do you want to do differently next week? Next month?

Are you looking forward to the good changes you'll make in 2009? I certainly am! Hold on to your answers--we'll be wrapping things up next week. Until then, enjoy very happy holidays...Cheers!

Warmly,
Jenn