It may seem ironic that there are thousands of books that teach people how to win at life. They’re often motivational and contain gems on productivity, time management and other techniques that are crucial to success.
Yet, very few books cover the topic of failure. It’s almost as if the topic is out of bounds and writing a book on it is an unprofitable venture. Yet, before one succeeds in anything in life, you can safely bet that the journey will be fraught with mistakes and failure.
The fundamental truth is that failure is not the opposite of success. It’s a part of it. Failing is inevitable. Sooner or later, you’ll encounter either a small failure or a monumental one.
How you recover from it will determine your success in life. The sooner you can bounce back, the better. However, even if it takes a while to recover, what matters is that you do. Quitting should never be an option… because once you quit, you’ve truly failed. There’s no recourse from that.
Now let’s see how you can cope with failure…
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Don’t take it personally
Whatever your goal may be, whether it’s to lose weight, or get fit or meet a certain income target, if your results are abysmal, almost always, there’s a problem with the process. Far too many people focus on the end result instead of the process.
The key to succeeding to be analytical and study the process. Within your process you’ll discover what you’re doing wrong. It’s just a matter of testing and iterating till you reach your goal.
Success is never linear. It’s always a winding route with progression, regression and stagnation… but ultimately, if you keep moving forward, you’ll reach your destination.
Whatever you do, don’t blame or hate yourself. Focus on the process.
2. It’s not about them, it’s about you
One of the biggest worries that people have is that they’ll look like a failure to others, if their endeavors yield no fruit. This worry is pointless because your goals are your goals. This is your journey.
The naysayers of today will be your ardent fans tomorrow… and may even ask for your help. This is the way of the world. Like Aristotle said, “To lead an orchestra, you must turn your back on the crowd.”
So have faith in yourself even if you fail… and keep going. Within the seeds of failure lies the opportunity for you to begin again with more experience and knowledge.
3. Remember why you started
There’s a reason you started on your goal. If you’re trying to lose weight, maybe you want to look better. If you’re trying to earn six figures, maybe you want a better quality of life. Whatever the case may be, there’s always an emotional reason tied to your goal.
Once you know why you began, you’ll know what you’re sacrificing should you quit. Your goals don’t have an expiration date… and failure is not final.
Keep trying and failing better until you finally succeed.
Bear these points in mind when you’re pursuing your goals. Failure can be discouraging and highly unpleasant… but with a positive mindset, and applying the pointers above, you’ll feel better and have the motivation to keep going.
“Our greatest glory is not in never falling, but in rising every time we fall.” - Confucius