What a liberating
thought, that experiencing failure doesn’t make us a failure. A relief,
no?!
Failure is
merely one potential side effect of doing almost anything in life—funding a
project, changing our food habits, starting a new exercise program, getting
married, moving—they all are acts fraught with the potential for failure. Any
ambition is.
So, why do we
all seem to take failure so personally?
Part of the
reason may be that we forget we have feet of clay, that we’re human and
therefore fallible. Another reason may be that we were punished for failing in
the past by well-meaning (and not so well-meaning) parents, teachers and/or
other authority figures.
Whatever the
reason, we do not need to continue the litany of abuse.
One of the best things we can do on the heels
of failure is to get up, dust ourselves off, and if the thing is still worth
doing/worth pursuing, try again.
Only this time
make some changes. Take stock of any mistakes that were made and/or improvements
that can be implemented.
Remember, when you fall off the proverbial horse you just need
to get back on—don’t wait too long, don’t dither, just do it.
All of which is
to say, that when we experience failure we need to remember our only job is to
keep our head on, make an assessment and move forward on a new course of consistent action.
Failure is
essentially impersonal. It’s how we choose to handle failure that makes all the
difference in outcomes.
Also, (listen
closely) failure is often the bridge to more favourable outcomes, so don’t
malign your failures they’re potentially a gift in disguise.
Treat them with
respect. Handle them with care.
