There are times in life when it feels like we’re failing. You may say to yourself “I’m terrible at this”, or “I’m not doing a good job”, making you feel like giving up.
There are other moments when we did give it our all but stilled failed. Perhaps your business venture came to a halt, you didn’t pass that exam, or you didn’t get your dream job. Failures like these can be debilitating, causing you to never want to try again.
This is made worse if you’re overly self-critical and hard on yourself.
This is common trait. Why? We live in a competitive society that constantly tells us what we should have. Money, a house, a successful career, a great body, and material possessions are a few that come to mind.
No wonder we give ourselves a difficult time. There is a lot of pressure on us all to strive hard and gain.
But you don’t have to fear failure, it’s an essential part life. One which has many benefits for your own growth, development, and success. Besides it’s unavoidable. So, it’s better if you can learn to embrace it.
Let’s look at these benefits in more detail.
Failure Builds Strength and Resilience
Yes, fear of failure can be paralysing. However, if you pick yourself up and try again, you’ll build strength and resilience. Success requires persistence. A willingness to never give up, no matter how hard or how many times you fall.
There are many examples of highly successful people who failed before succeeding.
Stephen King’s first book Carrie was rejected 30 times before he found someone to publish it. Yet now people regard his as the best horror author of all time.
Walt Disney dropped out of school. The army denied his application, and he went bankrupt trying to start his own film studio. Nevertheless, he kept pursuing his dream. Since then, generations of children and adults have cherished Disney across the globe. The company continues to build success today.
Imagine if Stephen Kind or Walt Disney gave up after their first failure. There are examples like this everywhere. Speak to anybody successful and ask them how they got there, no doubt they all went through failures.
But they were focussed and determined to reach their goals. They didn’t stop. And the more they tried, the more strength and resilience they built.
You can do the same.
“Success is not final, failure is not fatal: it is the courage to continue that counts.”
— Winston Churchill
You Learn from Your Mistakes
Think of the first-time humans tried to create fire, fish, or build an effective shelter. Do they think they got it 100% correct the first time? How about an inventor like Thomas Edison. Do you reckon he designed the light bulb in one attempt?
He famously said “I have not failed. I’ve just found 10,000 ways that didn’t work.” (Thomas A. Edison).
Failure is a crucial part of success.
We learn through trial and error. To get this far as a species we had to try, fail, learn, and try again repeatedly until success. By learning from your mistakes, you’re discovering what works and what doesn’t.
That way you improve your chances of success in the future.
There are invaluable lessons within failure. The more you fail and make mistakes, the more you learn. So, embrace them all, pick yourself up, and keep going. What’s the alternative?
You Gain Knowledge and Experience
I’ve tried my hands at a lot of different things over the years.
To name a few. In my early 20s I pursed my biggest passion music as a career. When I was 27, I retrained and worked as an English teacher abroad. At aged 31 I started my own audio recording business, whilst pursuing working on guitars as a side income.
I put a lot of money, time, effort, and work into all the above. But none of it worked out long-term. Do I regret anything though? Not in the slightest. I gained priceless knowledge and experience.
The hobbies, interests, jobs, and business ventures I pursued all taught me something. I learned about different industries, picked up new skills, and discovered more about myself. Along the way I also met and worked with new people, whilst having life experiences that shaped me.
There were risks, struggles, and fears, but it was all worth it. It was all a part of my journey, leading me to find what I’m meant for. To help others. Without all those trials and tribulations, I wouldn’t be where I am today.
Dare to take risks. Challenge yourself, and see what knowledge and experiences you gain.
“Failure is success in progress.”
– Albert Einstein
You Identify Your Strengths and Weaknesses
Working on guitars was intricate and skilful work. The kind that takes years of practice to master. Yet, I was getting inpatient, frustrated, and being hard on myself not mastering it first attempt. My self-critique and unrealistic perfectionist standards were holding me back.
Once I became aware that these negative traits were causing me harm, it empowered me to want to change. I decided to see a therapist where I began to work on my harsh inner voice and drive to be perfect.
I’ve come a long way since then and can now keep my perfectionism in check.
I never thought I’d be a teacher. The idea of standing in front of a room of strangers terrified me. But once I began teaching, I found out I was great at it. I uncovered strengths and qualities that I never knew were there.
If you don’t take risks, you’ll never know your true potential or reveal weaknesses you can improve.
Don’t you want to find out?
Failure Cultivates Creativity and Innovation
When you find that strength to keep going, failure cultivates creativity and innovation. When you reflect on why you failed, you should ask yourself important questions.
What did you do well? Could you have done something better? What worked and what didn’t? Did you learn anything? How can you approach it differently next time?
The answers will help you to come up with new ideas, approaches, and strategies.
You need to reflect, evaluate, and decide what to do next. Be creative and innovate. Think outside the box and tackle it from a different angle.
Learn from your mistakes. Consider your strengths and weaknesses. When you do, success will be around the corner. You can’t have it without failures.
It doesn’t matter how long it takes you. The important thing is that you’re progressing.
“If failure is not an option, neither is success. Innovation is just repeated failure till you come up with something that works.”
– Seth Godin
Let’s Redefine Failure
I would like you to stop seeing failure as something to fear. It’s not. I’m going to redefine it’s meaning, and I want you to remember this. Ok, are you ready?
Failure = opportunity.
That’s all it is. Nothing less, nothing more.
It’s a chance to build strength and resilience. Learn from your mistakes. Gain knowledge and experience. Identify your strengths and weaknesses. All whilst cultivating creativity and innovation to tackle your problem, task, or goal from a different angle.
Think about failure like this and nothing can stop you.
You’ll be ready to take on the world and pursue your dreams. It’s about changing your mindset, being more mindful, and taking positive action.
What are you waiting for?
Did this article help you to see failure differently? I’d love to hear your comments.
Take care of yourselves,
Chris from Mindful Way to Be
