Looking back on my life, I truly feel like I’ve been gifted with the ability to always “fall up.”
What do I mean by that? Simply put, I don’t “fall down.” Today I’m going to let you in on a little secret. It’s the secret to falling up rather than down and seeing your potential failures turn into successes.
Be Open, Listen & Pay Attention to Your Surroundings
Openness is probably the most critical thing to do when applying the secret to falling up. However, being open to whatever comes your way isn’t easy for many people.
Being open doesn’t always mean saying “yes.” Rather, it simply means that you’re willing to look at, listen to and feel out what’s being offered to you. You’ll find that you’re also inherently listening more closely by being open. You automatically pay more attention to your surroundings by listening more closely.
In this context, listening isn’t always listening to something audible. Instead, it’s about a general awareness of your surroundings. Look for signs; they’re there. Trust me. Trust your intuition. It speaks to you. And once you’re truly listening… you’ll find more opportunities coming your way.
These opportunities only come your way if you practice openness.
Set Clear Expectations
Part of the secret to falling up is setting clear expectations for yourself. This shouldn’t be a secret, but I feel like a lot of people don’t know this. You’ll never fail if you’ve set expectations for others on how you will perform.
Sounds easy, right? It should be, but most of us haven’t been conditioned to set our own expectations. We often rely on others to set them for us. That can lead to failure and falling down, which is the opposite of what we want to do!
If people know what they can expect from you, they’ll better know how to task you with items at work, for instance. They’ll know how to approach you better. Situations that might have been uncomfortable are much easier to handle when expectations have been set. When people know what to expect from you, they are also succeeding. Make sense?
So how do you set these expectations? Just be upfront about it. Situations arise every day that will offer an opportunity to set expectations. Here are some examples:
• You make a new friend: It’s OK to let this friend know that you have a busy life and they should expect text or phone call responses from you when you take breaks or settle in for the evening.
• Your boss adds a task to your list that doesn’t seem to be a priority: Give them an expectation of when you plan to start working on it. This allows you the freedom to complete what you’re working on without the added pressure of an unexpected task. If they decide it’s more of a priority than you’re giving it, great. They can reach back out to clarify and then you’ll know more clearly what you need to do.
• You’re in a relationship: Being upfront with what you’re able to give to the relationship is key. It’s not easy to be so open and honest. It makes us feel too vulnerable, but if you can’t allow yourself to feel vulnerable with your partner, is it the right relationship for you?
Know What You’re Capable Of
The secret to falling up includes not setting yourself up for failure. Know your capabilities. We can be good at a lot of things, but we can’t be true experts at everything. Establish yourself as a subject matter expert in areas that you feel the most confident. This opens the door for opportunities tailored to your strengths.
The same goes for the relationships you’re in. You will find that the company you keep is of a higher quality when you are true to your strengths. The best relationships are built on some kind of common ground. It’s when we try to bend ourselves to fit into something that isn’t quite right that we run into issues.
Does this mean that we never grow or change? Absolutely not. I find myself constantly growing and changing, but I do it for myself. I don’t grow or change for anyone else, and I do it organically as my life leads me to do so. This only happens because I am open to these new situations.
Manifest What You Want
This might sound crazy to some of you, but I am telling you right now that you won’t get the things in life you want if you’re not speaking them into existence. That’s it. That’s the bottom line.
Put it out there. Be open to the response from the Universe. Set your expectations (and even your intentions). And know what you’re ultimately capable of.
My Direct Messages (DMs) are always open. Take care. xo @KellyInPhoenix