[*Turning Point] Questions to Change the Status Quo for Individual Entrepreneurs: "What would you do if you knew you couldn't fail?" / Questioning Power and the Power of Attraction 07
3,743 characters in total. I am Matsuzaki, a consultant specializing in introverted middle-aged and older entrepreneurs.
The theme for this time is "questions to change the status quo."
The "reality" currently in front of us middle-aged and older entrepreneurs is the "result" of the actions we have taken so far.
What we have projected into the world (society) until now is returning to us and appearing before our eyes.
Therefore, if we continue to stay as we are (doing the same things) from here on out, a future that is no different from the present will arrive as a matter of course.
In other words, if you want to change the future, you just need to "change the present."
In this column, I will share a question (self-inquiry) that is good to ask yourself at such times: "What would you do if you knew you couldn't fail?"
[What would you do if you knew you couldn't fail?]
First, I will explain why this question is "good to ask when you want to change the status quo."
It is due to the following three reasons.
Reason 1
The first reason is that this question encourages you to "take action."
As individual entrepreneurs, don't we often fail to take action even when we imagine abstract things like, "It would be nice if it turned out like this"?
However, when the image is concrete, such as "what to do," people find it easier to take action.
In other words, this is a question that prompts you to take action.
For example, suppose the answer to this question (1) is, "If I knew I wouldn't fail, I would pitch to Company X, a major corporation."
If that happens, it means that such thoughts and awareness were already within you.
Nevertheless, you might have been putting on the brakes with the thought, "I might fail..."
[This question allows you to focus on "achieving results"]
Reason 2
The second reason is that this question focuses on "achieving results."
Due to the characteristics of our brains, we tend to think more strongly about negative things than positive ones.
Therefore, thinking too much about things like "What if I fail?" can end up reducing your concentration and judgment.
For example, suppose the answer to this question (2) is, "If I knew I wouldn't fail, I would commit to the results."
If that happens, it means you just need to focus on your original purpose or goal and take action.
And, naturally, I believe there is also an altruistic consciousness there, such as "making the customer happy," so it becomes even easier to achieve results.
[This question helps you "remove limiting beliefs"]
Reason 3
The third reason is that this question helps you "remove limiting beliefs."
When we try to take new actions, we start thinking, "What if I fail?" or become conscious of "anxiety."
This reaction occurs because the human brain is equipped with a "homeostatic function," so it is a very normal reaction for a human.
However, as scholars who have published research results stating that "90% of anxiety never happens" suggest, human "anxiety" is unreliable.
For example, suppose the answer to this question (3) is, "If I knew I wouldn't fail, I would plan a new business project."
If that happens, it can be said that you have now expressed here, once again, an idea you have long cherished or kept secret in your heart, such as "I want to take on a challenge."
[Questions that change the "status quo" of business]
However, among middle-aged and older individual entrepreneurs, there are not a few who are conscious (including unconsciously) that "maybe I will fail even if I start a business..."
And if you are conscious of or feeling "failure," it will not go well, and events will manifest according to your consciousness and emotions.
Actually, this is something I experienced myself in the early stages of starting my business.
I know the reason why that happened now.
That is because what is called "attraction" is "the fact that what you focus your consciousness on and what you feel is what is attracted to you as reality."
Therefore, the feeling that "I will fail" manifests as an event.
In other words, the question "What would you do if you knew you couldn't fail?" has a major impact on business (entrepreneurship) and can be said to be a question that changes the status quo of your business.
Professor David Cooperrider of Case Western Reserve University says the following:
"Organizations are attracted to the questions they ask themselves."
The same is true for people.
[In the first place, what is "failure"?]
By the way, what is "failure" in the first place?
Albert Einstein said the following:
"A person who never made a mistake never tried anything new."
Alfred Adler said the following:
"Failure is never something that discourages courage, but something that should be tackled as a new task."
Life and business (entrepreneurship) are things we create ourselves.
And failure always accompanies that process.
"Always."
However, whether you perceive that failure as a "mistake" or as a "lesson*" is something we decide ourselves.
(*In my courses, I teach that failure is a "lesson from God.")
What is important is "how we are feeling."
Because "what you are feeling is what is attracted to you."
If you ask what we are ultimately seeking in life, it is "to be happy."
And that "happiness," if you get to the bottom of it, is "to be emotionally satisfied."
For example, suppose you have a "feeling" like, "I don't really know why, but I'm somewhat interested and want to try it," or "Even if I fail, I'm kind of excited and want to take on the challenge."
If so, that is a sign from your subconscious that "doing that is what will make you emotionally satisfied."
Soichiro Honda once said the following:
"Do not fear failure when taking on a challenge. Rather, fear doing nothing. I believe that failure helps a person grow. I truly feel sorry for people who have never failed. Get into trouble. If you don't get into trouble, you can't do anything."
[Challenges guarantee 'growth']
I believe that life is meant for enjoying challenges, not for avoiding failure.
It is not about which is correct, nor is it about what the right answer is; it is about what kind of life we ourselves want to lead.
In other words, which is worse: regretting that you failed, or regretting that you never took the challenge?
It is often said that the regret of not doing something is greater than the regret of having done it.
I think so, too.
By taking on challenges, we are not promised "success," but we are promised "growth."
As Soichiro Honda said, even if you fail, that failure helps you grow as a person.
Furthermore, there is often more to be learned from failure than from success.
In the first place, aren't we meant to grow throughout our lives by experiencing failures?
If so, what is important is not avoiding failure, but the attitude of learning from it when it happens.
Mark Twain once said the following:
"Twenty years from now you will be more disappointed by the things that you didn't do than by the ones you did do. So throw off the bowlines. Sail away from the safe harbor."
Finally, I have a question for you.
"What would you do if you knew you couldn't fail?"
Take a 'small step' immediately!
Try outputting the answer that comes to mind in the comments section!
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