FIFI
Mistakes happen. They are an integral part of life and a crucial part of the learning process. Thomas Edison said it best,
“I have not failed; I have found 10,000 ways that won’t work.”
I’m not saying to go out there and make mistakes on purpose. What I am saying is to approach life and performance with the understanding that mistakes will happen, and instead of fretting over them, have a plan to help you learn from them and move on.
In a recent conversation I had with my college soccer coach (shout out Coach Soboti!), we were talking about how important it is to quickly move past mistakes, yet how hard it is for athletes to do. She shared a story about how her team was struggling with dwelling on mistakes, so she told them to ‘Fuck It and Fix It’ (or the PG13 version Forget It and Fix It). That phrase soon caught on and became the acronym FIFI.
As soon as I heard it, I loved it. What a great way to express to her team that she understands mistakes happen, and that she’s more interested in addressing it for improvement than the actual mistake itself. So many of us, myself included, can get caught up in the mistake and perceived consequences of that mistake.
What if they score?
What if I get subbed out?
What will they think of me?
What if I mess up again?
The list can go on and on, but I'd venture to guess we’ve all been in this place before - the place where thoughts snowball and it’s hard to break the cycle. The snowballing thoughts about mistakes can lead to self-doubt and bring on negative emotions, which in turn cause more negative thoughts.
I have conversations with clients just like this all the time. Dwelling on mistakes actually takes away from our ability to focus on the mistake itself. This is because we get stuck in past or future thinking, rather than being present in the current moment.
Having a plan to help break the cycle can become an integral part of your performance plan. FIFI is a great example of a short but sweet cue you can tell yourself when mistakes happen. Instead of getting into doomsday thinking, get into problem solving. What happened? What needs to be addressed or changed? How can you fix it?
Today.
Right now.
This moment.
That’s the focus you need to have in order to complete the task at hand. A fellow consultant explained it really well:
“The best thing you can do for your future self is to give your absolute best today; right here, right now. There’s no use beating up on yourself about the past or worrying about the future. Great things come from stringing together consecutive ‘today’s’ of giving your best.”
-Justin Su’a
So when you make a mistake, because you will, think to yourself, FIFI - what do I need to do to fix it and move on? Put the work in now to develop a plan for these moments so that when they happen, you're ready.
