Failure. You could not achieve your goal. you fell short of your objective. you just could not pass with flying colours. You have failed…
Humans live with many expectations and hope for the future. Dreams and passion fuel our lives, but when failure appears as an obstacle along our road to success, many give up the fight. Suddenly, your confidence dissipates. Doubt creeps in. Your dreams seem unachievable and your passion would’ve hit a roadblock. Why? Does failure make you a failure?
Failing once or failing twice or failing several times DOES NOT make you a failure. Failure in life is like losing one turn in a game. You win some, you lose some, but it does not define you as a person.
Failure finds us in either one of the three forms:
- One, as a situation we can’t change or beyond our control. This is because of external factors rather than our efforts.
- Two, mistakes that we make because we’re human. Unfortunately, humans aren’t perfect. Poor judgement or wrong decisions can lead to failure. But, as human as we are, learn from them.
- Three, failure caused due to carelessness and inaccuracy. Carelessness and lack of attention can lead to failure. This can be easily avoided.
Now you know how failure will come at you. But the trick is in facing failure. Your success in life depends on how you view and accept failure. To give you a head-start, here are five ways to convert failure to strength:
Be down to earth and realistic:
You are human, you will stumble and fall. You will make mistakes and it will help you grow. Expecting perfection is unrealistic and will only lead to disappointment. Be realistic when you set your goals. People will forgive your mistakes as long as they aren’t intentional. But importantly, learn to forgive yourself.
Do not take failure personally:
Making a mistake or failing doesn’t mean that you are a failure. It just another experience you can learn from. If you take failure personally, you’ll find it extremely difficult to move forward. So, relax. Convert your failure to success by believing in yourself.
Take ownership of the consequences:
Don’t run away from the consequences of your failure. The intensity might change for different people and situations but every action has its consequences. Take ownership. Accept responsibility. Build yourself up from it. Don’t let it pull you down. No matter how hopeless it seems, hope is just within your reach.
Grow with your failure:
Most importantly, make sure you learn from your mistake. Failure shows us our weakness. It helps us see where we faltered. Take it as an opportunity to grow and evolve. This will lay the foundations for your success.
DON’T QUIT:
Failure is the pillar of success. Failure will only help us to evolve into the best versions of ourselves. The road may be difficult but success awaits those who never give up!
Jack Ma, the founder of Alibaba, failed more times than we can count. His perseverance brought him one of the biggest e-commerce and retail chains in the world. Now, he wears his failures as badges of his success. He is famous for accepting failure and never quitting. Once you’ve failed, there’s only one way to go—up.
Life is a reflection of our perception of the world. Build positivity. Take failure with positivity. Take it as an obstacle which you must cross to achieve success. See it as a stepping stone on your climb to the top. Overcome your fear and learn from your mistakes. Let the element which aims to make you weak be your strength. Remember, you’re in control of your life. Choose the path that leads you to your dreams. You can only be a failure if you let yourself be.