Failure Is Not Final
“Failure is simply the opportunity to begin again, this time more intelligently.” Henry Ford failed numerous times before the first Model T. Prior to every success, there is failure.; it’s how you learn what doesn’t work. What truly defines you as men and human beings is how you respond to failure. Anyone can fail; it takes a truly special person to get back up and continue to strive for your dreams.
Failure fuels motivation. Once you feel how awful failure feels, you’ll be driven to never feel that way again. While it will likely happen again, the threat of failure is enough to always work your hardest to avoid that feeling. After a moment of failure, reflect on and remember the way you feel. Figure out what went wrong in that instance. Learn from your mistakes. By understanding the reasons why you failed, you will be forced to try different methods to succeed in similar situations in the future.
Never forget that a single failure is not the end your story. Failure is simply part of the process. While you will undoubtedly feel small and insignificant initially, your recovery and ultimate success will help you grow as a person and a professional. Finding the strength to improve yourself after these damaging events is more important than the event itself. Build yourself up and correct the steps you took on your way to failure. Change the ending to your story in the best way possible.
Sometimes it’s better to take some time away to reflect on your failure. If you lose your job, take a vacation to clear your head. If you have a damaging breakup, don’t jump back into another one immediately. Taking time for yourself will help you reflect objectively on the situation, helping you realize what went wrong. You are not a robot; dealing with life’s issues takes time. Without proper time to manage your situation, you are destined to make the same mistakes repeatedly. Fix yourself before jumping back into similar situations.
Accept the blame involved with your failure. You are a grown man; accepting mistakes or faults is an important step in the process. Personal failure is a minor setback and understanding why will help you in the future. Just like relationships, accepting faults will be examples of what you can avoid in future similar scenarios. Avoiding failures will only lead to similar results in the future.
It is also important accept that certain parts of failure are out of your control. Illnesses and physical issues that lead to life changes are impossible to change. Your body will make your life difficult no matter how closely you monitor any irregularities. In team scenarios, you must depend on the productivity of others; if their production isn’t to the level of everyone else, you may face certain consequences. While it is imperative to stay in control of your life, you will be helpless in certain scenarios; make sure you bounce back and continue fighting for your dreams.
Do not be afraid asking for help. Older co-workers or family members have been through numerous failures over the course of their lives and careers. Their guidance can help your recovery or avoid future pitfalls. Listening to advice is imperative to professional growth. If you avoid one single damaging mistake, the years of advice will be well worth the time and effort.
Failure can lead to different, beneficial opportunities. If you repeatedly fail in your current field, it may be more beneficial to switch to another career path. Although changing goals can be difficult, taking a short step down may eventually be more rewarding. For example, corporate law is stressful and will limit your time outside of work; using your experience with Fortune 500 companies could lead to a management or consulting career away from law. In this example, it may feel like your law degree would be wasted; however, the life-work balance would improve your mindset and overall wellbeing. Finding these types of beneficial changes can be a positive side effect of workplace failure.
Everyone deals with failure in every part of life. Bill Gates dropped out of high school. Michael Jordan was cut from his high school basketball team. Failure says nothing about the man you are. What defines you is how you respond to failure. Accept your mistakes, understand what went wrong, and realize you can’t control everything. Follow sound advice and learn from the mistakes you made along the way to failure. Failure can even improve your life and serve as a wake-up call. No matter how you fail, always remember there is a way out. You are in control of your future. You can learn to become a better version of yourself. You failed but you’re not a failure. Let those mistakes be your motivation to reach your full potential.