2016, it got here quick. And if recent experience is any indicator, it’ll be gone before the next one starts. The funny thing about writing these articles is they kind of remind me that another four weeks has slipped by since I wrote the last one… this morning.
Now, I know that as you’re reading this there’s a better than ever chance that you may still be feeling the after-effects of New Year’s Eve. So, here’s my secret cure. Deal with it! That’s right, this month we’re talking about embracing the suck.
Chances are that last year didn’t go exactly according to plan. It doesn’t matter how well you did, there is something you’re kicking yourself about as we move into the New Year and a new fiscal quarter. Get over it! You cannot go back and un-miss that deadline or unbreak your favorite coffee cup. You can pull yourself up by the bootstraps and move forward.
Soldiers call it embracing the suck. It doesn’t matter what has gone wrong or become unpleasant. The only thing that’s important is the rest of your life moving forward, because that’s all you can change.
We all make mistakes… and while you shouldn’t dwell, you must never forget. Go stick a fork in the outlet. You won’t do that again! That is why we should begin every year (in fact every new week) by embracing the suck.
Take a moment and look back on everything that went wrong and think about best practices and how to avoid similar pitfalls moving forward (this is called an “After Action Review”). Then think about everything that went right and see if somewhere in between the two one didn’t offer a learning experience that helped the other out.
Make this your new habit going forward and stick to it. You can lose all the weight you want and throw a little money out on going back to the gym (I know I’m gonna), but you can take this one to the bank. Embrace the suck. Let no mistake go unlearned and you will grow and be grown by.
