If you knew you couldn’t fail

If you knew you couldn’t fail.

I have heard this line so many times but last week it really got me thinking. 

If you knew you couldn’t fail, what would you do?

Steve Buckley sent me a book for Christmas by NZ Mental Performance Coach David Niethe called ‘The Winning Mindset’ (thank you Steve!!)’.  

I didn’t get past the first chapter when I was really struck by this line, and really for the first time ever it hit the mark. 

“If you couldn’t fail, what would you do?’ 

So I sat on this concept for a few days, and started noting down some ideas. What was soon apparent to me (and this is just my discovery – this may not be how this was intended) is that I needed to apply the ‘wheel of life’ concept – I could not extract one desire or dream that covered my whole life. Family, interests, health, art, and wealth building were all part of it and needed to be examined in their own right. 

What I found really interesting as I sat on this concept and really leaned into it, is that there was not one idea that I came up with, that I was unable to achieve to some level.

It is ALL mindset (funnily enough, being in a mindset book).

I challenge you to reflect on this, and write some ideas down because your dreams may be closer than you realise.

I was also surprised that very little to do with Independent Agent came bubbling to the forefront of my thoughts… I reflected on this too and realised that I am applying myself to IA as though I can’t fail. If I thought that I would fail I wouldn’t be doing it. And right there is the gem. 

If you believe that you are going to fail then chances are you won’t even try. 

For those interested, here is a little snapshot into the mind of Matt Jones… 

What if I knew I couldn’t fail: 

I would get into surfing what I consider to be big waves. Even at 47 this is achievable. Sure I may not get to Nazere or Jaws on a big day – that’s for full time athletes, but when I reflect, I have already surfed some pretty big waves. I am very comfortable in head-height waves, and when I am fit, double overhead is fine. I surfed a wave once, that was getting close to triple overhead height. It was a rogue wave on a double overhead day. That tells me if I applied myself I could certainly gain confidence in this area. 

I would record an album of my own music and go for a NZ tour with it. I have friends who have offered me their recording studios and time for free or for next to no money. There is a world-class studio IN PUHOI… There are small halls, clubs and pubs that would happily have me around the country. It would just need a bit of time and organisation. The only thing stopping me is “me” on this one too. 

Some kind of physical challenge – a full marathon, a weightlifting comp, another boxing match (it’s been about a decade since the last one), maybe look at a flexibility goal. Choosing any one of these would require a decision and then some dedication. But all are possible. 

So there you go – my ‘if I knew I couldn’t fail’ list is full of things I can do. 

Maybe the real failure to worry about is the dreams that we fail to start. 

I would love some feedback on this one – did you come up with dreams that you can actually achieve – if you were to decide to?