How do you view failure? Do you see it as a life-stopping, dream-ending catastrophe, or do you see it as a valuable experience that moves you one step closer to finding success?
If the first one is your current mindset, then a change in perception could bring major, positive transformations to your life.
Below are a few ways you can reframe your failures to bring success. If you implement these ideas into your life, you’ll not only have an easier time dealing with failure, but you’ll also be able to grow as person every time you do fail.
1) Failure Makes You a Stronger Person
“A smooth sea never made for a skillful sailor”
This couldn’t be more true. You need failure in your life. If you can make it through a failure and continue to press forward, you strengthen your ability to persevere.
If you never experience any setbacks in your life, it means one of two things. You’re either living life in your comfort zone and not achieving much, or you’re setting your sights so low that succeeding is easy.
Neither of those scenarios results in you living a life you’re excited about. Neither of those scenarios results in you achieving your life’s most important goals.
Set bigger goals knowing that even if you fail, you’ll be a better person because of it.
Every time you fail, you get stronger.
2) Failure is a Stepping Stone to Success
“Success is stumbling from failure to failure with no loss of enthusiasm.”
Every successful person you can think of has failed at one point in their lives, and most of them have failed more times than you can imagine.
Howard Schultz, the CEO of Starbucks, was denied by 242 banks before one finally gave him the funds he needed. Walt Disney’s theme park concept was denied 302 times before he finally got a yes. Steve Jobs was fired from his own company.
Imagine what the world would be like today if those men had let failure stop them.
It wasn’t the fact that they never failed that made them successes, it was the fact that they kept failing and kept moving forward that made them successes.
Every time you fail, you move one step closer to success.
Failure is just the price of admission, and everyone has to pay the price.
3) Failure is the Best Teacher
I’ve learned more from my failures than I ever have from my successes. When you fail, you learn what doesn’t work, which is just as important as knowing what does work.
That way, the next time you try, you have the knowledge of what to avoid, and it’s that knowledge that will move you closer to success.
You can almost never predict how things are actually going to turn out. The only way to know what’s going to work and what’s not going to work is by taking action. Sometimes you make the right move, sometimes you make the wrong move.
But there’s still value to be found and lessons to be learned when you make the wrong move and fail. Don’t miss out on those valuable learning opportunities just because you’re afraid of a little failure.
4) Failing Doesn’t Mean You’re a Failure
Failure is a result, not a way to describe yourself. Just because you’ve “failed” at something doesn’t mean you’re a failure as a person.
You have to separate your self esteem from your failures.
If anything, failing means you’re a step above the average person who only dreams, but never takes action because he’s too afraid to fail.
Wear your failure as a badge of honor because it shows that you were bold and brave enough to take action.
5) What Other People Think of Your Failure is Irrelevant
Everyone has an opinion, and most of them don’t matter. And the moment you start worrying about what other people think about your failure, you’ll be too caught up in defending yourself to find all of the value there is in failure.
Unless someone is giving you constructive criticism that’s going to help you grow, ignore it. Some people give “advice” with the result of causing you harm, whether it’s intentionally or unintentionally.
Pick and choose who you listen to very carefully.
6) Failure Shouldn’t be Scary
We usually overestimate the devastation that failure will cause. We think that if we fail, our life will be torn apart and we’ll never be able to recover. But most of the time, that’s just not true.
Most failures are not fatal. Instead, they’re minor setbacks.
7) Some Failures are Beyond Your Control
There are so many factors influencing the direction of your life. Some, you have control over, others you don’t. Stressing over the latter is a recipe for disaster.
Let go of the things you can’t control, and let them work themselves out.
Instead, focus on what you control and understand that even if you do fail, you gave it all you could and that’s all that matters.
Featured photo credit: Refraction through glasses via en.wikipedia.org
