“Failure is so important. We speak about success all the time. It is the ability to resist failure or use failure that often leads to greater success. I’ve met people who don’t want to try for fear of failing.” – J.K. Rowling
Ultimately, everyone wants to avoid failure if possible. The reality is, failure happens to everyone one way or another. It can sometimes be difficult to accept, but there are valuable lessons that can be learned. All failure means is that you took a risk and came up short. If you are experiencing failure right now, I know you may not find this comforting. I promise as you keep reading, you will have a better understanding of failure and the great things that are to come.
There have been numerous times in my life that I have failed and wanted to give up. I know firsthand failure can be discouraging. The ability to keep going despite any failure that you have endured is what differentiates those with a weak mindset from a strong mindset. One of the best pieces of advice that I was ever given was to keep failing at different things. When I first heard this, I was shocked. I could not believe this individual was telling me to fail. I soon realized that failing at different things in life was crucial to my growth. By failing, it was pushing me in a different direction than what I was originally looking for. If I could turn back in time and avoid my failures, I can admit I would not do so. I can assure you that the most famous people who have failed would also not take their failures back.
10 Lessons You Can Learn From Failure:
1. Failure Teaches You To Embrace Change
When you fail, it may seem like all of the odds are against you. You put so much time and effort into something and you are not seeing the results that you hoped for. Understand there is something that you are missing, and you must decide what needs to be changed. Sometimes when people fail they will keep trying the same things over and over again, hoping they will eventually get it right. The truth is, if you keep doing the same things you did before, you will keep encountering failure. You must change your approach to see different results. You will learn to embrace this change and know that if you keep trying, you will eventually achieve your goals.
2. Failure Is A Great Source Of Motivation
For most people, failure makes you want to quit. You may feel that because you did not see the results that you had hoped for right away, it is not a good plan for you. However, for those people who have the right mindset, failure can be a great source of motivation. You should never underestimate the power that self-motivation has. Find the strength and motivation within yourself to keep pushing towards something greater. You will soon figure out how your mind works, and once that happens, you will become unstoppable.
3. Failure Teaches You That Success Is Not Guaranteed
When you are trying something new such as starting a new blog, new relationship, a business, applying for your dream job, everyone wants to achieve success. You are set on this new goal of yours that the possibility of failure does not even cross your mind. However, the desire for success can be limiting at times. Not everything is going to work out as you once had planned. You must be willing to put in the time and effort towards achieving your goals regardless of any obstacles that get in the way.
4. Failure Encourages You To Seek Inspiration Through Others
Failure encourages you to seek inspiration through others. You will realize that all successful people have failed at something at least once. You can look to those who have experienced failure for inspiration on how they have dealt with their failures. I know that failure can be a hard thing to accept, and as a result, you may be hard on yourself. I strongly encourage you to look up how many successful people have failed and gain a better understanding of how they chose to keep going despite their failures.
5. Failure Shows Your Weaknesses
Once you can understand what you have failed at, it is important to take a step back. Analyze everything that happened to get you to this point of failure. Question what you may have missed, what you could have done better, what you can do next to prepare yourself for success. With failure, you will find that there was some weakness in your strategy. Maybe you did not do enough research or had the wrong people working alongside you. Whatever the case may be, it is important that you do not give up, instead, you must try a different approach. You would be surprised at how much you can learn from your weaknesses.
6. Failure Teaches Humility
Those who succeed right away without first experiencing failure often think of themselves as invincible. They believe that they are doing everything right and they will never encounter hardships. As a result, they often start to make more risky decisions as they find they are “unstoppable.” The truth is, there is no way to avoid failure. At one point in your life, you will fail at something. The important part is how you carry yourself afterward and how you choose to move on. It is important to enjoy your success, but you cannot lose yourself in it. The more humbled you are, the more respect you will get from those around you. Furthermore, once you experience failure, you will be better prepared emotionally for any failure that may occur in the future.
7. Failure Forces You To Get Creative
Creativity often comes from the lack of resources. If you have everything at your disposal, you are not forced to get creative. Oftentimes, those who are the most successful are those who did not have all of the tools. You must dig within yourself and find your creativity. For example, maybe you do not have thousands of dollars to start your business. Instead of looking at this lack of money negatively, make the best use out of the money that you do have and get creative with your business strategy.
8. Other People Don’t Care About Your Failures As Much As You Think
More often than not, people are afraid to take risks because they are scared they are going to be judged by those around them. As a result, people often settle and do what feels most comfortable to them. We internalize this idea that we are going to be labeled a failure for the rest of our lives. This is simply not true.
A quote from David Goggins reads, “Most of us fail in life because we are afraid of what everyone around you is thinking.” It is easy for us to think that when we experience failure, everyone is sitting around a table and judging us for not succeeding. In all honesty, people do not care about your failures as much as you think they would. Those around you are often too busy dealing with their own stuff that they do not have the time to worry about you.
9. Failure Is Only Final If You Decide To Quit
Once you experience failure, you may believe that you do not have what it takes to achieve your dreams.Failure is only final if you quit and do not try again. Regardless of the reason that you may have failed, you should always keep going and stick to your goals. With that being said, you have to be strategic with your time and resources. You will soon realize there is not just one universal way to do things in life. You must come to terms with the fact that other approaches may work better and you just need to change a part in your plan to receive the desired results. Failure is not the end of the road, it is 100% possible to overcome failure and achieve greater success than ever imagined.
10. Failure Broadens Your Perspective
Oftentimes when we are working towards something, we forget about the other important things that we have in our lives. This could include our family, friends, health, etc. Once you fail, it broadens your perspective and enables you to look at your life and essentially redefine what is important to you.
Conclusion
Remember that failure always comes before success. We understand that it can be a painful experience. However, failure is inevitable. If you are continuously pursuing your dreams, you are unable to completely avoid failure. If you have a goal set in mind, there is always a possibility of failure. Do not let this failure control you. Take these 10 lessons you can learn from failure and use them to motivate you. Regardless of your situation, you must be willing to move beyond this failure and achieve greater success.
