How to Be a Complete and Utter Failure in Life, Work & Everything

Steve McDermott is one of the UK’s top motivational speakers, personal coaches, trainers, and consultants. The world’s #1 expert on failure, he’s been featured on everything from CNN to BBC Radio.

Preface

How to get the most from this guide

Introduction

Step One          Don’t decide what you want. If you do decide what you want, don’t think about why you want it.

            And if you do decide why you want it, commit to believing you can’t have it.

Step Two                 Don’t do things on purpose

Step Three              Don’t stop working for a living

Step Four                Don’t know what you value in life (and if you do, lose sight of it)

Step Five                 Don’t spend any of your time in the future

Step Six                  Don’t have any goals

Step Seven              If you do have goals, don’t put them in writing, and if you do, don’t think too big

Step Eight               Don’t plan your priorities

Step Nine                Don’t involve other people

Step Ten                 Don’t have a mentor or be a mentor

Step Eleven             Don’t get advice from people you’ve never met or who are dead

Step Twelve             Don’t take action right now

Step Thirteen           Don’t get feedback on your actions

Step Fourteen          Don’t adjust

Step Fifteen             Don’t get even more feedback, don’t be flexible…(you get the idea)

Step Sixteen           Don’t practice continuous improvement

Step Seventeen       Don’t wear a parachute

Step Eighteen          Don’t change your beliefs

Step Nineteen          Don’t stop having a deep fear of failure and of making a fool of yourself

Step Twenty            Don’t take personal responsibility for your life and results

Step Twenty-one      Don’t stop believing in luck

Step Twenty-two      Don’t expand your comfort zone

Step Twenty-three    Don’t use inside-out thinking

Step Twenty-four      Don’t put things in before you try to take things out

Step Twenty-five       Don’t control your moods

Step Twenty-six       Don’t transform your language

Step Twenty-seven   Don’t think about the first four minutes

Step Twenty-eight    Don’t talk and think about what you want

Step Twenty-nine     Don’t go to the movies

Step Thirty              Don’t stop being an unthinking dog

Step Thirty-one        Don’t ask `How do you do that?’ Don’t act `as if’. And don’t be naïve.

Step Thirty-two        Don’t change the meaning of things

Step Thirty-three      Don’t stop thinking only about money, money, money

Step Thirty-four        Don’t have a good laugh

Step Thirty-five         Don’t be creative or innovative

Step Thirty-six         Don’t think of your own idea to go here

Step Thirty-seven     Don’t stop always taking `no’ for an answer

Step Thirty-eight      Don’t be grateful

Step Thirty-nine       Don’t commit to lifelong learning

Step Forty               Don’t be a leader

Step Forty-one         Don’t learn to communicate

Step Forty-two         Don’t understand the secrets of great teams and great customer service

Step Forty-three       Don’t develop winners and winning relationships

Step Forty-four         Don’t step up. Don’t do extraordinary things

Step Forty-four-and-a-half            Don’t stop doing everything by halves, that’s if you do anything at all.