In Episode #8 of the Life Is A Marathon show, I speak about the importance of setting yourself up for victory and of learning more from your successes than from your failures. Far too often, through the way we think and speak, we project the opposite outcome we actually want. We say and think more about what we don't want than about what we do want. I also address how the popular business "buzz" is to "fail fast" and learn from our mistakes. I disagree! It's best to "win fast" and build on our successes!

Quotes from the show:

All life is an experiment. The more experiments you make the better. — Ralph Waldo Emerson
Show outline:

Comment from a reader of my blog about the "Push yourself to the point of failure" post


Dan Erickson: I’m reading a book called “Rework” and the authors would disagree. The idea of failure to succeed is overrated. What if we push ourselves to the point of success?
I agree - we learn much more from our successes than we do from our failures!
I wrote in Sept 2013 - Focus on Your Strengths, Not Your Weakness


Set yourself up for victory every day, in every situation

Business coaches are fond of saying "fail fast"
I say "succeed fast"
It's very important have BHAGs (Big Hairy Audacious Goals) - dreams for the future that you work towards
More important to "chunk it down" into small, bit-sized, very doable goals

Creates a "I'm winning!" attitude
Creates the "snowball effect" / momentum


As you win, keep raising the bar by doing more "winning" things and pushing harder


All life is an experiment. The more experiments you make the better. - Ralph Waldo Emerson

Failure will happen

Don't expect it / accept it
You can learn from it, but don't focus on what you did wrong
Don't project a negative outcome in your speech or thought

Instead of telling a child "don't drop this", which is what you don't want
Say "please, carry this very carefully" which IS what you want

Celebrate the victory when it is accomplished!






Try to find the things that went right, but not enough of that was done

What was working that you didn't do in this situation
Get back on track mentally by going back to what worked




Keep a Victory Log

You get what you look for/expect in life

If you try to fail fast, you will!


Record all the victories, big and small
Review your day to recognize what went right, well, made you happy, made someone else happy
Look back over the list each week / each month

You'll see how many victories you have!




I've also blogged about this: Set Yourself Up for Victory; Learn from Your Successes!

Mentioned in this show:

Bruce Van Horn - Discover your potential. Push yourself to the point of failure!
Bruce Van Horn - Focus on Your Strengths, Not Your Weakness
Dave Ramsey - www.DaveRamsey.com
Bruce Van Horn - You CAN Go the Distance!
"Rework" – Jason Fried &  David Heinemeier Hansson
Built to Last: Successful Habits of Visionary Companies – Jim Collins
Run For Fun Cruise

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