Failure and loss are dreaded realities we face regularly. We fail in school, in relationships, or in business. Other times we experience loss of a friendship or job. How do we go on?
Where do we find the strength? Do we have the resiliency to keep moving? When we were young, this wasn’t a problem. When we took our first steps, we fell and we stood up again only to fall again. We learn to walk through failure. When we were young, failure wasn’t an obstacle. It was one more way that it didn’t work. This view of failure kept Thomas Edison on the path to discovering the light bulb. How we deal with our failures determines our success.
It is through tough times that we realize that success is more than the celebration of ourself and our achievements. Success is our ability to cope with change, to reflect on our actions, and to reevaluate and adjust our goals, resolve conflict, or figure out how to disagree with others appropriately.
Among indigenous people, success is defined in a seven generations mindset. Asking what has gone on before, what is going on now, and what is best for the generations to come. Decisions are framed in a context much larger than just themselves and much longer than just the present day.
Seven-generations mindset is about learning to cope with the changes inside you and changes around you, and making the best decision that would honour those who have gone on before, match what is required today, and mindful of what will be needed for future generations.
