Do you struggle with rejection and failure? Do you feel like giving up after having unsuccessfully attempted something? You may be closer to finding your true edge than you think.
My business partner and I have started practising the daily “Edgy” challenge. We didn’t come up with the term. We actually borrowed it from the founder of Pyxis Technologies, François Beauregard, though I’m not sure where he got it from.
What’s an “Edgy”, I hear you ask? An “Edgy” is a task that you challenge yourself with, either in action or words. There are no strict criteria per se, but the task should be somewhat difficult to accomplish. For example, telling a complete stranger how beautiful they look or wearing something that clashes with the crowd. An “Edgy” should bring you to the edge of your comfort zone and make you apprehend the things to come.
The thing about “Edgys” is that they’re often taken under only one perspective. People see them as things to overcome, to accomplish, or to achieve. But there are many more valuable aspects to “Edgys” than what meets the eye.
Now, we’re pretty much always encouraged to think positively, to win, and to achieve what we set out to do. And it’s absolutely fulfilling when we succeed in something we set out to do. Personally, the rush of adrenaline that goes through my body when I win makes me want to repeat the experience over and over again. That’s why I like playing competitive sports.
But what happens when you don’t achieve, win, or succeed? What then? Does disappointment set in followed by a sense of failure or a feeling of rejection? Sometimes it does, right? If we get stuck in our “story” of failure, we soon find ourselves resigning and we start being fearful of the next challenge. Here lies a golden opportunity to open new perspectives in regard to failure.
I believe there’s more in experiencing “Edgy” challenges than simply savouring the successes and achievements. There are things like learning to accept and even welcome failures. In fact, tuning in primal signals of fear and listening to somatic alarms of distress may also be aspects worthy to explore.
We may be cultivating emotional ignorance by always thinking that achievement is better than failure and that failure is always bad. We obviously know the positive aspects of success and achievement, but are we also aware of their negative aspects and of how useful it is to acknowledge them? Does constantly achieving also mean we may not be aiming high enough? Could it also indicate a lack of perspective or even a refusal to learn something truly revolutionary or disruptive?
In the same frame of thought, we can easily describe the negative aspects of failing; but how aware are we of the positive aspects of failing? Can it also mean having the willingness to push beyond one’s limits? Is it not proof of the courage we bring forth despite the overwhelming sense of fear we face?
The takeaway…
You can get a whole lot more from the “Edgy” experience. While you should definitely celebrate your achievements and successes, be fully aware of everything that comes with it; the good and the bad. As you can see, “Edgys” have a lot more to offer!
Approach failure with the same mind set. Learn from your failures and take some time to celebrate the courage and willpower they generate in you. Take the time to thank failures for shining light on your true edge.
So what’s your “Edgy” of the day? And what are you going to learn from it?
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