Whether you’re in the middle of a career transition or an entrepreneur struggling through her first year of business, we all get knocked off track sometimes. The truth is that anything worth pursuing is going to be hard. There will be challenges. There will be upsets.
You may have a great plan in place, but then inevitably, you get thrown a curveball that may derail you. The secret to success is not learning how to avoid set backs, it’s having the tools to recover from them. Success is not about perfection; it’s about knowing what you want and getting back on the horse even when you are knocked down.
An “anchor” is a great tool to get you back on track. Here are 3 reasons why you need an anchor to be successful.
An anchor is a positive mental structure that gets you back on track when you’re feeling unmotivated, discouraged, or just blah as I like to call it. (‘Blah’ is a medical term, right?)
Let’s create your anchor. Close your eyes if you have to. Imagine a time when you were at your best, a time when you felt super accomplished and proud of yourself.
What were you doing?
Get super specific about that moment.
What did you see?
How did you feel?
What sounds were there?
What thoughts were going through your head?
What did you learn about yourself that day?
What does it remind you of?
One of my anchors is when I took a 4-day trek through the Andes Mountains to get to Machu Picchu in Peru. On the second day, hiking up a 15,000-foot mountain was one of the most strenuous hikes I’ve ever taken. My legs were jelly, the high altitude felt like I was breathing out of a straw, and I was given a nice serving of humble pie as I went into the hike believing I was in pretty good physical shape.
I did it though. I remember huffing and puffing and putting one foot in front of the other and just telling myself to breathe. I made it to the summit, and the view was breathtaking. More importantly, I had pushed myself to a physical and mental limit that I had never experienced before. In that moment, on top of that mountain, I knew I had gotten a little bit stronger.
What is your anchor?
Here are 3 reasons why anchors help us be successful.
1. It reminds you that you’re capable of much more than you think. Our anchors remind us of our true potential. They tell us that we’ve found the strength in ourselves before to do amazing things, and we can do it again.
2. It puts you in a positive perspective. When you’re filled with self-doubt and discouragement, it is natural to slip into a negative perspective. Your anchor is a surefire way to help you think positively again. Your anchor is quick tool to help you slip out of the mentality of “what could go wrong” into the more productive state of mind of “what could go right.”
3. It helps you give yourself permission to take bigger risks. When you’re filled with self-doubt, the uncertainty that lies ahead can be paralyzing. The fear of failure thwarts any attempts you take to try something new. What if I try and it doesn’t work?
Using your anchor will give you the confidence you need to take bigger risks. It’s okay to try something new. You’ve tried new things before, and sometimes they work out beautifully and sometimes they may be disastrous. But as long as you learn something along the way, it’s worth giving it a shot.
Take some time and create an anchor that you love. Just like the name implies, your anchor will keep you grounded during choppy waters, and after the storm passes, you will be ever to forge on stronger than before.
Fhd
If You Fail the Course, Still Known Your Anchor