(Below from the book, The 15 Invaluable Laws of Growth by John Maxwell)

If you want your bad experiences to keep you not only from doing the same silly things but to also lead to significant growth, I suggest that you embrace the following five actions:

1. Choose a Positive Life Stance

“Life Stance” is a term used to describe people’s overall frame of reference. The product of any person’s life stance is their overall way of looking at things. If you can maintain a positive life stance, you put yourself in the best position to manage bad experiences and turn them into positive growth.

2. Embrace and Develop Your Creativity

The people who make the most of bad experiences are the ones who find creative ways to meet them. They see possibilities within their problems. When you have a bad experience, instead of letting it discourage you or make you angry, try to find a way to let it prompt your creativity.

3. Embrace the Value of Bad Experiences

It’s always easier to see something positive in a negative experience long after it happens. It’s difficult to meet the negative experience in the moment with a positive mindset. However, if you can do that, you will always be able to learn something from it. Where there is no struggle there is no progress.

4. Make Good Changes after Learning from Bad Experiences

Often it takes a bad experience for us to face the changes we need to make in our lives. It gives us an opportunity to turn our lives around. A bend in the road is not the end of the road unless you fail to make the turn. We need to train ourselves to fight for positive change.

5. Take Responsibility for Your Life

You must take responsibility for your life and the choices you make. People who overcome bad experiences avoid the label of “victim” and take responsibility for moving forward. It is nearly impossible to grow in any significant way when you don’t take responsibility for yourself and your life.

~Evolution of Self
#growth #mindset #responsibility #experience #opportunity #change #motivation