How expecting to fail can help you

I went to a public high school. There were quite a few smart people in my class. Can't view this email properly? [View in Browser]() {NAME}, I went to a public high school. There were quite a few smart people in my class. Naturally, around application time, most had their sights on at least one prestigious university. But then, something odd happened. The first round of college admissions came in. And, yeah, some people got into their first picks. But predictably, many others didn’t. Often, the ones who didn’t…changed their attitudes overnight. “Whatever,” they’d say, shrugging. “I didn’t want to go to that school anyway.” Which surprised me because I took a different approach to the application process. Ramit during his graduation Stanford-bound! With the right plan, getting a “no” is only the first step to achieving your goals. Planning for failure Plenty of kids had better grades than me, so I assumed I’d get rejected. I made plans to get in despite that rejection. I’d planned to send Stanford updates on my coursework, recent press clippings I’d done, and news about the business I was running in high school. In short, getting a “no” was only my first step. (Sure, my method bucked tradition. But Stanford was my dream—I was willing to give it a shot!) As a result of my “Failure Expectation,” my confidence increased. Which led me to write a strong application. Which got me into Stanford. My acceptance taught me a very valuable lesson: We gain confidence in our abilities not from a SINGLE successful attempt, but from planning ahead of time, from executing that plan until we reach our objective. Think of all the things you’ve tried and failed at after a SINGLE attempt. Say you tried to meal prep, or attend a 6 am jiu jitsu class, or learn the ukulele. How did you feel after you failed? Did you give yourself a million reasons why it won’t work out, long-term? - “I don’t have time to do this.” - “I’m not athletic enough.” - “At this point, it’s just too hard to learn a new skill.” When we try something one time and it doesn’t work, often, we silently retreat. We lose confidence in our abilities….then never try again. But it doesn’t have to be that way. Pushing past the obstacles How many times have you settled for something you knew would be easy—because you were too afraid to try something new and challenging? What world-changing work would you be doing—IF ONLY you had [the mental frameworks]() to push past your psychological obstacles? Success Triggers What I did in high school was twofold: (1) I built a system, planning for failure. (2) My confidence empowered me to write an even better application. Now, think about how you can apply this Success Trigger to your life. - That dream freelance gig? Find 10 more dream gigs, and prepare for everyone to turn you down. Then keep in touch with all of them. - That raise and more vacation time you want? Expect not to get it. Build the confidence to negotiate again (or maybe even leave your job, for one you’re more aligned with). - Your upcoming trip to Iceland? Imagine the first hotel will be a bust. Plan a variety of adventures, to keep things fresh. The list goes on. Assume you’ll fail, and watch how your life improves. That’s the true value of [Success Triggers](), my “secret playbook.” These tiny mental shifts add up to an enormous effect over time. The results? Massive confidence. Mental clarity. Self-trust. These frameworks will help you move from a fearful mindset, to a risk-taking, confident one…from feeling stuck to feeling limitless…from overwhelm to calm empowerment. “How to Never Be Afraid of Failure” (Failure Expectation) is just one of the 30 Success Triggers I cover in my Success Triggers program. [Learn here about the other 29](). [Signature] P.S. Here’s a counterintuitive take on the Failure Expectation from one of my students: Text message Text message I love it! [Programs]() [Podcast]() [Netflix show]() [Books]() [Website]() [IG]() [in]() [X]() [YT]() Was this forwarded to you? [Sign up here](). [Unsubscribe here](. 548 Market St #89946 San Francisco, CA 94104-5401