Reframing Life Events as a Success Strategy

I've written about reframing (a different way of looking at a situation by changing its meaning) before as a means to take some frustration out of the day. It came up again in my recent post about using Valentine's Day, not as an excuse to binge on champagne and chocolate, but as a resolution reminder.

It got me thinking about just how important reframing is in creating a life that is happier, less judgemental, and more encouraging both to ourselves and those around us.

Read my other post about reframing here.

If you are a regular here you know that I love self improvement and personal development just about as much as I love bees and gardening. I read very little fiction because I prefer to read biographies and learn from the life experiences of other people. I also love to read stories about people surviving the most tragic situations. And boy do I love a good rag to riches story of a successful entrepreneur!

My new love though, is podcasts. While most people are listening to their favorite playlist on Spotify (I have one too, though my family would make fun of it) when I'm in the car or on the treadmill I prefer to listen to people who are at the top of their game sharing how they got there. As Tony Robbins says, "Success leaves clues." The best of the best have a lot in common.

A clue that I keep hearing repeated is reframing, though people don't always use that term. 

 Recently Ed Mylett interviewed UFC Champion and Fox Sports Analyst Dominick Cruz. Now I'll admit that I'd never heard of him and almost skipped this interview because I don't care to watch this sport. Still, one thing I have learned in adulthood is that I can almost always learn something from interviews and books about athletes even though I'm not sports minded or athletic myself. Doesn't matter. The rules of life are often the same regardless of the context in which they are being applied.

So I listened. Here's the link: Knocking Out Your Weaknesses: Dominick Cruz and Ed Mylett

One of the key take aways from this interview is "These things didn't happen to me. They happened for me." 

This is how successful people use reframing to their advantage. They see all the deprivation, pain, loss, and disadvantages they've endured as fuel, as opportunity. They do not see those things as excuses. They also see the bad stuff as what make them strong and gave them the grit to carry on when things got  tough. To keep going long after most people have given up because it's hard. They frame their hardship as a necessary ingredient in their success.

What about you? Are you reflecting on some negative thing in your past and holding on to it with bitterness and regret or are you using it as a catalyst for change? Maybe you can use it as a marker of how far you've come. Owning it as something that happened for you to make you the person you are now will serve you now and in the future.