March 1, 2022 8 Min Read
Coach Shannon Vital’s Belief in Failure Drives His Success
Quitting a secure job and becoming an expat in a matter of weeks might seem like a big risk. But for Coach Shannon Vital, it’s just how he works. His forward-looking mindset means that when he realizes his life is no longer moving on the trajectory he wants, he takes massive action. And he is confident in his decision because he practices controlling his thoughts and mindset.
He discusses his mindset mastery and life values in a recent episode of the podcast TaskHuman Talks. Here are the key takeaways from the conversation.
Anything You Do Is a Choice
It can be easy to overthink our choices, especially when we feel that the choice is “high stakes.” It could be a decision about a job or a move, or even establishing a life partner. We fall into “analysis paralysis” because we feel a need to make the “right” choice.
And while Shannon believes you should consider the options when making big decisions, hemming and hawing doesn’t help. Instead, he encourages you to simply choose the path that points toward where you want to go, even if it is scary or you don’t know what you’re doing. He knows it works because it did for him.
“Typically I dive in head first and grow my wings on the way down,” he says.
Now, Shannon admits that you cannot always control your circumstances. Life happens to you: you get a diagnosis, lose your job, or welcome a new family member. These are things that you didn’t “choose.”
The difference is what you think about these circumstances often dictates how you respond—and that’s where your choice lies. No matter what uncontrollable circumstances happen to you, both good and bad, you are responsible for your reaction to it.
“You can choose to say, ‘life is happening to me’ or ‘for me’,” Shannon says.
When you learn to control your response to your circumstances, you regain your power.
Failure Is a Core Value
Shannon loves a good acronym. For him, the word “fail” can be broken down into First Attempt In Learning. With this open view of failure, he enables himself and those around him to take creative, calculated risks in order to improve.
He wants you to recognize failure isn’t a sign something went wrong or that something ended. Instead, it is a sign you tried something new. You need to fail in order to win.
“If you’re not trying, then you’re not failing,” he says. “And if you’re not failing, then what’s the point? Because you’re not growing.”
He brings these ideals into his business practices and his coaching. He encourages those he works with to take reasonable risks and applauds their efforts.
When you see failure as a space to learn and take control of your reactions to your situations, you open yourself up to deeper growth and opportunities.
Want to listen to the entire conversation? Click here.
If you’re ready to connect with Coach Shannon to master your mindset and learn to embrace failure, connect with him for a 1:1 session on the TaskHuman app.