
Post Politics | Josh Hicks

The Fact Checker | Glenn Kessler

She The People | Carla Baranauckas

The Fix | Sean SullivanOpinionsIn OpinionsToles CartoonsTelnaes AnimationsThe Post's ViewLeft-LeaningRight-LeaningLocal OpinionsColumnist IndexFeatured Blogs

ComPost | Alexandra Petri

The Plum Line | Greg Sargent

PostPartisan | Jonathan Bernstein

Right Turn | Jennifer RubinLocalIn LocalD.C.MarylandVirginiaCrimeEducationObituariesTransportationWeatherBlogs & ColumnsBlogs & Columns

Capital Weather Gang | Jason Samenow

Going Out Guide | Lauren McEwen

Dr. Gridlock | Dana HedgpethSportsIn SportsRedskins/NFLCapitals/NHLWizards/NBANationals/MLBD.C.United/SoccerCollegesAllMetSportsBlogs & ColumnsForumsOtherSportsBlogs & Columns

Capitals Insider | Katie Carrera

DC Sports Bog | Dan Steinberg

The Insider | Mark Maske

Nationals Journal | Adam KilgoreNationalIn NationalEnergy &EnvironmentHealth & ScienceEducationNational SecurityInvestigationsOn FaithOn LeadershipInnovationsOn GivingCorrectionsBlogs & Columns

Innovations | Vivek Wadhwa

On Leadership | Jena McGregor

On Faith | Michael ShankWorldIn WorldAfricaTheAmericasAsia &PacificEuropeMiddle EastNational SecurityWar ZonesSpecial ReportsColumns & Blogs


WorldViews | Max Fisher

WorldViews | Caitlin Dewey

WorldViews | Max Fisher

WorldViews | William WanBusinessIn BusinessEconomyIndustriesLocal BusinessMarketsPolicy&RegulationTechnologyWorldBusinessCapital BusinessOn Small BusinessOn I.T.Blogs & Columns

The Color of Money | Michelle Singletary

Wonkblog | Lydia DePillisTechIn TechnologyPolicyInnovationGreenTechnologyThe SwitchPhotoGalleriesBlogs & Columns

Hayley Tsukayama

The Switch | Timothy B. Lee

The Switch | Caitlin Dewey

The Switch | Brian FungLifestyleIn LifestyleAdviceCarolyn HaxFoodHome & GardenStyleTravelWeddingsWellnessMagazineKidsPostOn Parenting


The Style Blog | Hank Stuever

The Reliable Source | Roxanne Roberts


Comic Riffs | Michael Cavna

Going Out Guide | Lauren McEwenJobsIn Jobs#header-v3 #main-nav li.realestate{display:none;}#header-v3 #main-nav li a.top, #header-v3 #main-nav li a.top:link, #header-v3 #main-nav li a.top:visited, #header-v3 #main-nav li a.top:hover {font-size:13px;padding: 0 4px 0 5px !important;}#header-v3 #main-nav li a.home, #header-v3 #main-nav li a.home:link, #header-v3 #main-nav li a.home:visited, #header-v3 #main-nav li a.home:hover {padding: 0px !important;}#header-v3 #main-nav li.politics {border-left:none;}#header-v3 #main-nav li.classifieds {border-right:none;}#header-v3 #main-nav-wrapper-v2 .classifieds .rollMe {right:-1px;height:155px;width:260px;}#header-v3 #main-nav li.politics:hover {-moz-box-shadow: none;-webkit-box-shadow: none;box-shadow: none;}MoreClassifiedsCarsDealsReal EstateRentalsPhotosBlogsDiscussionsFind&SaveObituariesArchivesTopicsWP Wine ClubService Alley In the NewsTerrorism alert Alex Rodriguez Venice Beach Art Donovan dies Missy Franklin body .ui-menu-item { margin: 4px 0; text-align: left; text-indent: 10px;}body .ui-autocomplete.ui-widget-content{ border-top: medium none; border-top-left-radius: 0; border-top-right-radius: 0; display: block; left: 154px; position: absolute; width: 199px; z-index: 1;}body .ui-widget-content a { background-image: none !important; border: medium none !important; border-radius: 0 0 0 0; color: #222222; cursor: pointer; display: block; line-height: 1.8em; margin: 0; padding: 0; width: 100%;}.search input{ width: 200px;}???initialComments:true! pubdate:07/07/2013 17:56 EDT! commentPeriod:14! commentEndDate:7/21/13 5:56 EDT! currentDate:8/4/13 8:0 EDT! allowComments:false! displayComments:true!Career Coach: Focus on what you want By J. Gerald Suarez,
Do you find yourself thinking about avoiding failure, or do you consistently think about achieving success? The difference between these two perspectives can fundamentally influence your career. Focusing your thinking on dodging failure can lead to devastating outcomes.
In 1978, I watched Karl Wallenda on live TV as he attempted to walk between two hotels on a wire stretched 121 feet above the pavement in San Juan, Puerto Rico. Karl was the founder of “The Great Wallendas,” an internationally recognized daredevil circus act famous for performing death-defying stunts without a safety net. At age 73 and with winds exceeding 30 miles per hour, Wallenda stepped out to what was soon to become his final act.
More from Capital BusinessFair Oaks Mall gets a new look
To keep up with customers’ changing demands, the Fairfax mall is demolishing relics from its past, including fountains and waterfalls, to make way for high-tech seating areas, free Wi-Fi and grand entryways.
Web site helps women go from maiden name to married name Abha BhattaraiMore than 160,000 people have used MissNowMrs.com, which has annual sales of more than $1M.
Conference center developer sets sights on Tysons Corner
New York-based Convene is staking out 15,000 square feet in what used to be a seafood restaurant in Tysons Corner.
Prior to the walk, Wallenda was not his usual confident and positive self. In fact, Wallenda was so concerned about this performance that he had personally inspected all the ropes before the walk, something he had never done before, according to his family.
He climbed to the tower and after taking a few steps Wallenda seemed tentative and appeared to be struggling with his balance. Everyone watching attributed this to the added suspense of the show. However, when he released the balancing pole and he tried to hold on to the cable with his hands, it soon became evident that he was in a precarious situation. Suddenly, he lost his grip on the wire and fell to his death. As everyone was mourning Wallenda, his family declared that the show would go on.
As the international press arrived to interview the Wallendas, his wife Helen recalled, “All Karl thought about for three straight months prior to it was falling. It was the first time he’d ever thought about that, and it seemed to me that he put all his energies into not falling rather than walking the tightrope successfully.” It was a tragic moment, underscoring the difference between using our efforts to avoid failure and aiming them to attain success.
Focusing our thinking on what we want is a prerequisite to mobilizing our efforts to achievement-oriented activities. Eliminating or avoiding an undesirable condition — a job problem, negative interpersonal dynamics, or avoiding an error — does not ensure that we will attain what we desire.
We can’t assume that if we eliminate what we do not want that our future will better by default. To succeed requires that we focus on success. (This was likely the strategy recently employed by Karl’s great-grandson, Nik Wallenda, when he successfully walked a high-wire stretched across the Little Colorado River Gorge on June 23.)
Take a page from the younger Wallenda and focus on success as an important principle to apply to your career. We cannot walk our “tightrope” successfully if we are overly concerned with failure. Negative thoughts will push our mental and physical efforts in the wrong direction, and we will ultimately become defensive and self-protective. That, in turn, will adversely impact our capacity to take risks, make tough decisions, and be creative and innovative.
Good golfers understand this principle. They’re in the middle of the fairway. They have the hole in sight. They consider the wind direction, but they ignore the water and sand hazards and the out-of-bounds markers. To acknowledge them is to allow negative thoughts to intrude on their image of where they want to be: on the green, close to the pin.
Reprints$('.infoButton').on( 'mouseenter', function(e){$(this).children().show();} ).on( 'mouseleave' , function(e){$(this).children().hide();} );Discussion Policy | FAQ | About DiscussionsLoading...CommentsAdd your comment Read what others are sayingAbout Badges SuperFan BadgeSuperFan badge holders consistently post smart, timely comments about Washington area sports and teams.
More about badges | Request a badge Culture Connoisseur BadgeCulture Connoisseurs consistently offer thought-provoking, timely comments on the arts, lifestyle and entertainment.
More about badges | Request a badge Fact Checker BadgeFact Checkers contribute questions, information and facts to The Fact Checker.
More about badges | Request a badge Washingtologist BadgeWashingtologists consistently post thought-provoking, timely comments on events, communities, and trends in the Washington area.
More about badges | Request a badge Post Writer BadgeThis commenter is a Washington Post editor, reporter or producer.
Post Forum BadgePost Forum members consistently offer thought-provoking, timely comments on politics, national and international affairs.
More about badges | Request a badge Weather Watcher BadgeWeather Watchers consistently offer thought-provoking, timely comments on climates and forecasts.
More about badges | Request a badge World Watcher BadgeWorld Watchers consistently offer thought-provoking, timely comments on international affairs.
More about badges | Request a badge Post Contributor BadgeThis commenter is a Washington Post contributor. Post contributors aren’t staff, but may write articles or columns. In some cases, contributors are sources or experts quoted in a story.
More about badges | Request a badge Post RecommendedWashington Post reporters or editors recommend this comment or reader post.
You must be logged in to report a comment.
Sign in hereYou must be logged in to recommend a comment.
Sign in hereComments our editors find particularly useful or relevant are displayed in Top Comments, as are comments by users with these badges: . Replies to those posts appear here, as well as posts by staff writers.
All comments are posted in the All Comments tab.
More about badgesGet a badgeTo pause and restart automatic updates, click "Live" or "Paused". If paused, you'll be notified of the number of additional comments that have come in.
Comments our editors find particularly useful or relevant are displayed in Top Comments, as are comments by users with these badges: . Replies to those posts appear here, as well as posts by staff writers. SpamObsceneDuplicate .singular .echo-item-control-Share #newsharebar li .more {left: -565px;top: 10px;} Facebook Twitter Reddit StumbleUpon Digg Delicious Top business StoriesMost Popular VideosTraditional journalism isn't dead.This is what it's like to almost get eaten by a whaleGov. Brown imposes 7-day inquiry that averts strike of San Francisco Bay Area transit MondayAssociated Press This is an amazing traffic lightThe Internet is killing Weight WatchersWill fast-food street protests in big cities help spur hike in minimum wage?Associated Press Calif. gov. orders inquiry, averts strike of San Francisco Bay Area transitAssociated Press Planning for the helium apocalypseAs Windows XP reaches end of its lifecycle, businesses face big IT decisionsSarah Halzack Obama administration stops ban on sale, import of older Apple devicesHayley Tsukayama The electoral college staysHow LinkedIn has changed the way you might get your next jobSarah Halzack Why economists hate software patentsThe GOP's kamikaze mission against ObamacareSo you've burned your Obamacare draft card...'What I regret most in my life are failures of kindness'A terrifying recession graphNASA’s Curiosity rover celebrates landing on Mars; drives toward mountainAssociated Press Microsoft releases Surface sales data ::unspecified:: Value Added: This businessman keeps swinging for the fencesThomas Heath



Shares of Buffalo Wild Wings and SodaStream heat up on strong earnings news. Our analysts give their take and talk about the perils of following big money.
No comments:
Post a Comment