Print this page
Sunday, 05 November 2017 04:57

Handling Failure. Featured

Written by
Rate this item
(0 votes)

Why are you avoiding failing, and why does it look like it is the end of the world when you fail at something dear? To define failure in any context, you must first ask: what are you falling short of? What standards are you lacking? By which metrics are you failing? You can’t truly know what it means to fail if you don’t know what it means to succeed.

I have failed so many times in my life. I still fail sometimes, but I am not a failure. I know that school sabotage our relationship with failure. It installs in us some negative ways to deal with and handle failure. The results of your test and exams, states if you passed or failed. If you fail, there are consequences—your teachers and parents might be disappointed with you, you probably won’t get into the next class or the next level of your program. You might repeat or be kicked off. The price of failing is a very high price. You just can’t afford to fail.

Having this in mind, we have a terrible relationship with failure. Our educational system literally teaches us to associate failing with people being angry with us, opportunity slipping away, and having to spend our entire summers at school while our friends are all having fun outside. The message we learn from this is not positive. It instils the fear of failing in us. The moment you have the fear of failing, you will attract more failing. It is a never ending vicious cycle. If you fail, you’ll be punished. Supposedly, if you manage to not fail, you’re OK until you fail. The problem is that this belief is horribly misguided, and it sets us up for a lifetime of failure outside of the classroom.

To get better you need to change your own definition of failure. This will enable you to change your perspective. This will enable you to see the positive in failing and attract positive results despite failing. You have no option, but to accept failing is good for you. Failure is a necessary precursor to ultimate success. Want to make it big in the real world? Fail early, fail fast, fail often, as the saying goes.

When you fail, it is the process that failed, and not you. Creating a purposeful life requires messing up and venturing into the unknown. While we all want success, this is not guaranteed. That’s why the ability to recover from setback and move forward is essential. And this starts with embracing, processing, and even benefiting from failure. Failure is the best teacher. Until you experience failure, you won’t learn the secrets embedded that will enable you to succeed. Scientists have long understood that the brain has two ways of learning. One is avoidance learning, which is a punishing, negative experience that trains the brain to avoid repeating mistakes. The other is reward-based learning, a positive, reinforcing experience in which the brain feels rewarded for reaching the right answer.

In the educational system, failure means lost opportunity. But in the real world, failure is the currency for success. There is no success without failure. No matter how brilliant you think you are, you can’t tiptoe past failure on the way to success, failure is the front door. You’re not better or smarter than failure, you’re not above it and you can’t escape it. You’re going to fail many times, probably more than you succeed. If that idea made you queasy, well, get used to it. Failure doesn’t mean you are not good enough. Failure is just a data for you to work with. It is basic information that gives insight. It is a feedback.

The currency you earn from failing is the data and information the failure presents to you. How you use this data and information will determine how successful you will become. The more times you fail, the more data you earn, and the richer and more knowledgeable you become. Failure should not be taken for granted. It should not be taken on a face value. It is valuable to fail. As a matter of fact, failure is as precious as gold. If you want to achieve anything worthwhile, you must let go of the idea that failure is something to avoid. Nobody wants to fail, but you must be willing to fail if you ever want the chance to succeed.

Life is not like a restaurant where you can choose your meal. You don’t have the choice and leisure to choose between failure and success.  It doesn’t matter how much you achieve, or how good you think you are, you’ll never be immune to failure. Expect it often. Anticipate it. Remember that even though you can have failure without success, you can’t have success without failure. Failure is inevitable.

There is always room for improvement no matter how great you are. Sometimes, you’ll never know which areas need improvement unless you fail. You learn more from failure than from success. Failure makes you stronger, not weaker. Failure shouldn’t break or stop you, because you’re unstoppable. If you break or stop, it is not because of failing, it is because you decided to give up. You made the decision to give up. You take more chances in life when you are not afraid to fail. When you fail, oftentimes you’ll realise the present path you’re on is not the right one. You invest more time, and you discover a better path that leads to your goals and objectives. Failing shows you the right path.

Whenever you fail you have a choice. It is either you focus on the facts or you focus on the emotions. If you emphasise your feelings after an instance of failure, you’ll succumb to the victim mindset. Don’t make yourself a victim. If you are a victim of failure, your focus becomes your misfortune. Victims are passive and helpless. Failure feels worse than it is if you feel like a victim.

When you fail, don’t make it personal. Just because you haven’t found a successful way of doing something doesn’t mean you are a failure.  Look at the failure analytically. Don’t be in a hurry to shove it. There are lessons to be learned. Dissect it, learn all you can. Why did you fail? What might have produced a better outcome? Was the failure completely beyond your control? After gathering the facts, step back and ask yourself, what did I learn from this?  Think about how you will apply this newly found insight going forward.

Obsessing over your failure will not change the outcome, so stop dwelling on it. Often our fear of failure is rooted in our fear of being judged and losing others’ respect and esteem. You don't need anyone’s approval. The key to success is handling failure. If you risk failure, sometimes you will fail. But every time you fail, you’re that much closer to success. Success demands its percentage of failure.

Be aware that whenever you are doing something new, learning something new, taking risks or stepping outside your comfort zone, you are risking failure. All is not lost when you fail.

34576 comments

  • Comment Link supreme outlet Tuesday, 07 June 2022 22:23 posted by supreme outlet

    Thanks a lot for giving everyone a very spectacular possiblity to read in detail from this web site. It is usually very good and also full of fun for me personally and my office friends to visit the blog particularly thrice weekly to find out the fresh issues you will have. And of course, I'm just certainly amazed with all the astonishing inspiring ideas you serve. Certain 4 ideas in this posting are definitely the simplest I have ever had.

  • Comment Link bape clothing Tuesday, 07 June 2022 22:23 posted by bape clothing

    I as well as my buddies were looking through the great thoughts located on your web site then immediately I got an awful feeling I had not thanked the web site owner for those techniques. The people were totally glad to read through them and have absolutely been loving them. Thank you for truly being so thoughtful and also for getting varieties of extraordinary subjects millions of individuals are really desirous to learn about. My very own honest apologies for not saying thanks to you earlier.

  • Comment Link supreme clothing Tuesday, 07 June 2022 22:23 posted by supreme clothing

    Needed to draft you one little bit of remark in order to thank you very much again about the breathtaking tactics you have contributed in this case. This has been certainly surprisingly open-handed with you in giving extensively all that a few individuals could have distributed for an e-book to generate some bucks for themselves, most importantly now that you might have tried it if you wanted. The things as well acted like the great way to fully grasp that someone else have a similar zeal just like my very own to know great deal more when it comes to this issue. I am certain there are thousands of more fun sessions ahead for individuals that read through your blog post.

  • Comment Link yeezy Tuesday, 07 June 2022 22:23 posted by yeezy

    Thanks so much for providing individuals with such a wonderful possiblity to read critical reviews from this website. It is always so pleasing and also packed with a great time for me personally and my office fellow workers to visit your blog no less than thrice per week to see the latest stuff you have. And indeed, I am certainly amazed considering the striking solutions you serve. Certain 3 facts in this post are completely the finest we have had.

  • Comment Link hermes handbags Tuesday, 07 June 2022 22:23 posted by hermes handbags

    I am only writing to let you know of the wonderful discovery my cousin's princess experienced studying yuor web blog. She realized too many pieces, most notably what it's like to have an ideal coaching nature to have folks very easily learn a number of tortuous subject areas. You undoubtedly exceeded people's desires. Thanks for presenting the good, trusted, revealing and as well as unique thoughts on this topic to Janet.

  • Comment Link golden goose outlet Tuesday, 07 June 2022 22:23 posted by golden goose outlet

    My husband and i were excited that Raymond managed to round up his investigation out of the ideas he obtained out of your web pages. It is now and again perplexing to just find yourself giving freely tips and tricks which usually people have been trying to sell. And we all do know we need you to be grateful to because of that. The main explanations you have made, the straightforward site menu, the relationships you will make it easier to foster - it is many wonderful, and it is making our son in addition to the family know that that theme is brilliant, which is certainly exceedingly vital. Many thanks for everything!

  • Comment Link hermes Tuesday, 07 June 2022 22:23 posted by hermes

    I want to show some thanks to this writer just for bailing me out of this particular predicament. After scouting throughout the the web and meeting tips that were not productive, I was thinking my life was over. Existing without the presence of solutions to the difficulties you've solved through your main short article is a serious case, and ones that might have adversely damaged my entire career if I hadn't discovered your website. That understanding and kindness in dealing with a lot of stuff was priceless. I'm not sure what I would have done if I hadn't discovered such a point like this. It's possible to at this time look ahead to my future. Thanks a lot so much for your high quality and results-oriented help. I won't be reluctant to recommend the sites to any individual who desires counselling on this subject matter.

  • Comment Link kd13 Tuesday, 07 June 2022 22:23 posted by kd13

    I and also my buddies were found to be checking out the excellent hints from the website and then all of the sudden I had a terrible feeling I never expressed respect to the web site owner for them. All of the women are actually totally stimulated to study all of them and have now in actuality been using these things. Thank you for turning out to be quite kind and also for figuring out varieties of superb themes most people are really eager to know about. Our own honest regret for not expressing appreciation to earlier.

  • Comment Link kyrie shoes Tuesday, 07 June 2022 21:34 posted by kyrie shoes

    I must express my affection for your generosity giving support to visitors who really need assistance with this important situation. Your special commitment to passing the solution up and down appears to be wonderfully significant and has consistently enabled workers much like me to achieve their targets. The useful suggestions means a lot a person like me and additionally to my peers. Regards; from everyone of us.

  • Comment Link dmulvuzn Tuesday, 07 June 2022 20:15 posted by dmulvuzn

    how Much Cialis Cost?