If at first you don’t succeed try these 5 Rs
“If at first you don’t succeed…try, try again!” goes the saying.
But I think that misses a crucial bit between the ‘not succeeding’ and the ‘trying again’. If we just hurl ourselves back into the trying again one, it can feel relentless and exhausting, AND we might miss out on some crucial learnings.
So this is what I think: if at first you don’t succeed, follow this 5 R process before trying again.
First R is to Reflect - reflect on your approach, reflect on what happened, reflect on how you feel about it all. Process what happened. Knock-backs and rejection can be tough and it’s often not as simple as brushing it off. If you were a kid who fell off their bike and got gravel in their knee, you’d need to wash the gravel out, put some Savlon on it and get some TLC. We are still that kid and that gravel in the kneed can’t just be brushed off!
Second R is to Remark - remark on what you learned, what skills you tried out or used or honed - perhaps it was the first time you were pitching something or trying something new out, remark on the challenge you attempted - was it a valiant try, did you demonstrate courage, chutzpah? If so, don’t forget to celebrate that and acknowledge yourself for it.
Third R is Rest - don’t just go at it like the Duracell bunny hitting the drum, that’s the surest way to run out of energy and burnout. So rest, take a moment, pause and restore your reserves. If this comes in switching off, taking time out, talking to a friend, whatever, just take a rest from the trying again for a moment.
Fourth R is Refocus - when you’ve rested, restored and regenerated, then refocus on the vision you have - what does success look like and what is the strategy that will best get you there. If it didn’t succeed last time then what, if anything do you need to tweak or approach differently? Remember, failure is development in disguise, so what developments do you have for the next stage?
Fifth and final R is to Regather - when you’ve reflected, remarked, rested, refocused, THEN it’s time to regather body, mind and soul and only THEN put your best foot forward, recharged and re-energised and try again.
Okay, let me know what you think, if this helps.
Good luck everyone, may the force be with you and remember to be fearlessly YOU!
Tracy
