You may have heard the saying that Failure is the first step to success, and while it’s probably overused, there is some truth to this statement. If you never make mistakes, then you never learn from them and are unable to correct yourself in future situations where you might need to apply what you’ve learned. This applies both professionally and personally – if you never try out an idea or action that fails, then you can’t build off of that failure to improve your next attempt. So how can you turn your failure into a positive learning experience?
Embrace your failures
There’s a great quote by Albert Einstein that goes like this: I have not failed. I’ve just found 10,000 ways that won’t work. As it turns out, he was on to something – research has revealed that people who embrace failure instead of avoiding it actually experience greater levels of success (and are often more creative). If you want to be successful in life and business, stop fearing failure; instead, see it as a stepping stone on your path toward greatness. From there, take a look at some tips for overcoming mistakes and making positive changes in your life.
Think of failure as a learning experience
Sometimes we don’t know what went wrong, and sometimes we just don’t know how things will turn out. But a failure isn’t a terrible thing in itself. It’s an opportunity to learn—from your own mistake or someone else’s—and there is no shame in that. The secret, then, isn’t avoiding failure but being able to view it objectively and use it as a chance for growth and improvement. Here are some tips on making sure you can do just that
Take risks
You need to accept that some of your experiments will fail. It’s a good thing—the only way you can learn is by taking risks and seeing what happens. Don’t be afraid of failure; instead, use it as a stepping stone for more success. One famous author said that all successful people have learned from their failures but didn’t let them hold them back. A lot of failures aren’t failures at all, but simply experiments that didn’t work out quite like you thought they would. Once you realize that failing means being one step closer to success, it might not seem so scary after all.
Celebrate your wins
Don’t wait until you meet your goal to congratulate yourself. As soon as you hit a milestone, remind yourself how far you’ve come and pat yourself on the back for a job well done. And don’t feel like it has to be an elaborate [email protected]—you don’t need an expensive dinner or new shoes; just take some time out of your day and give yourself some well-deserved credit. Taking time out of your day helps keep you focused on what you want in life, which can help keep you motivated even when things get hard. You deserve it! Celebrate each win, no matter how small, along your journey.
View setbacks as problems, not failures
Try thinking of setbacks as problems—not failures. They are almost always fixable and provide you with information on how you can improve in that area. Mistakes, for example, teach us what we did wrong, allowing us to improve on our next attempt. When something doesn’t work out as planned, consider how you could make it better next time. Try taking notes during an event or situation that didn’t go well so you can learn from it later.
Focus on learning something new
In many cases, failure means we’re learning. Failing can be frustrating and painful, but ultimately it means that we’re growing and trying something new. We learn in failure how not to act; we also learn how to think more clearly about a problem, which makes it easier to resolve going forward. If you try an idea and fail, look at why things didn’t work out—is there anything you can take away from that experience? In many cases, what we take away from failure can be extremely valuable in other aspects of our lives too. Make sure you’re always aware of what you’ve learned through your failures—it might just be one step closer toward success.
Solve problems rather than letting them get worse
Often, when we think of solutions to a problem, it’s easier and more satisfying (at least in the short term) to turn away from that problem. We let it fester and get worse, like our anger at that coworker who betrayed us or our frustration with where we are in life. But often these problems aren’t going anywhere; they’re sitting there for us like little land mines just waiting for us to step on them again and blow everything up. So how do you move forward? Focus on solving your problems instead of letting them stay bad until they become even worse.
Get back up after being knocked down
Everyone experiences failure at some point. But it’s not a terminal state, and in fact, can be quite motivating. Though there are many reasons why a business may fail, it’s not something you should fear. Failure is an important part of life for every entrepreneur, and it provides useful lessons that you’ll be able to apply elsewhere down the road. Getting back up after being knocked down teaches resilience and how to think on your feet when things aren’t going according to plan.
Conclusion
The first step towards success, although we do not consider it at times, is failure. It lets us know that we are heading in the wrong direction and need to adjust. If you are going through a rough patch in your life and losing hope then I would like to encourage you with something I read by Thomas Edison: I have not failed 10,000 times; I’ve successfully found 10,000 ways that will not work. He knew that he was close to success with each failure because of his failures he learned more about what it takes for something to succeed.