New Focus: Evidence of Success

Have you ever had something go wrong during the day and then you found yourself collecting evidence of all the other things that are currently going wrong for you? As you gather evidence of failure, the one thing that went wrong now turns into a mountain of things that are not working out for you. Do you realize it is just as easy to gather evidence of success as evidence of failure? While collecting evidence of failure leaves you feeling stuck and depressed, collecting evidence of success motivates you and pushes you forward toward your goals. 

Here are some ways to train yourself to look for evidence of success:

1. CONSIDER A DIFFERENT OUTCOME

Think about the initial thing that went badly for you and ask yourself if you have ever been in a similar situation that had a different outcome. For example, if you had a hostile exchange with a coworker, think about a time where an interaction with a coworker went well. Remind yourself you have had successful interactions in the past. Find evidence to support that. Think about how you would like interactions to go in the future and think about your role in making those interactions go smoothly. Let go of the current negative experience and turn your focus to the times you were successful and how you will continue to succeed in the future.

2. KNOW YOUR STRENGTHS

Often when something goes wrong, we blame ourselves and start gathering evidence of our flaws and weaknesses. Instead, when something goes wrong, start making a list of your strengths. Write down all of the things you are good at and the things you bring to the table. Use your strengths to tackle the problem at hand. Understand that you have the tools you need to resolve the situation and start looking for solutions.

3. POSITIVE AFFIRMATIONS

Positive affirmations are positive statements that can shift your attention from failure to success. Create a list of your achievements, both big and small. For example, “I graduated from college,” or “I lost weight when I went on a diet,” or “I made a valuable contribution to our last project,” or “I got to work on time.” Then write those achievements on a stack of index cards. If something negative happens during the day and you are tempted to get into a negative spiral, bring out your index cards and review the evidence of success.

4. GRATITUDE JOURNAL

One way to collect evidence of success is to record things that went well in a journal (or computer/phone). Express gratitude for your successes on a regular basis. Make time, at least once a week, to review the things that have gone well for you. Remembering that things have gone well will help you act in ways that create more success in your life. For example, if your journal includes the entry, “I am grateful for the help of the wonderful assistant I hired,” you will think about why you appreciate that person and how you can hire more exceptional workers.

5. WORK WITH A COACH

As a mindset and accountability coach, I help my clients find evidence of success. They use this evidence of success to shut down the negative spiral and their past success motivates them to achieve their goals. If you would like some help shifting your perspective away from failure and frustration to evidence of success, please schedule an appointment with me through my website: best-possible-outcome.com.

AUTHOR: Laura Verrekia

Best Possible Outcome Coaching

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