How to Embrace Failure - Legend of Lisa

In this article, learn how to embrace failure.

“I have not failed. I’ve just found 10,000 ways that won’t work.” ~Thomas Edison

How do you define failure?

One of the key differences between those who achieve success in life and those who don’t lies in their beliefs about failure.

On the surface, we’re taught that failure is a bad thing and something to be avoided at all costs. A hardship.

If you failed at something, you’re just not cut out for success and happiness in life.

Right?

Wrong.

We see people on our social media feeds and TV who have found success in life and we assume they did everything right and that’s how they got to where they are now.

But it couldn’t be further from the truth.

What do Steve Jobs, Oprah Winfrey, Walt Disney and Thomas Edison have in common?

I bet you’re thinking, “they were/are successful entrepreneurs,” and you would be right.

But they have something else in common, too.

They all failed at some point on their way to becoming who they are today.

In fact, the average number of failures for entrepreneurs before they made it in business is 3.8!

If you are afraid of failure or don’t know how to use it to your advantage when it happens, you will never live your dreams.

And you know what? You’re better than that. You deserve to live your dreams, and you are fully capable of doing so.

I want to explain to you why failure is a blessing in disguise for those who understand how to use it for their personal gain.

Failure is a Learning Experience

“The essence of man is imperfection. Know that you’re going to make mistakes. The fellow who never makes a mistake takes his orders from one who does. Wake up and realize this: Failure is simply a price we pay to achieve success.” ~John C. Maxwell

Recommended Reading: Failing Forward by John C. Maxwell

Approach failure as an experience you encounter that you glean insight from.

Going forward, you now know the action steps taken that led to the failure are not action steps you’ll be taking again-you’ll form a new plan of action.

Think of it as testing the waters: You can’t figure out what works if you don’t rule out what doesn’t work first.

Call to mind the person or business you admire, whose success you envy-I guarantee they did not get there without failing along the way.

Successful people and businesses don’t just happen to get lucky and find overnight success straight out of the gate while the rest of us suffer from bad luck and failure.

They failed on their way to where they are and it was through those failures, they learned what worked.

Seeing failure as a learning experience (which it is, if you have the right mindset!) reminds me of dating. Most of us can look back in time when we dated someone we would never consider dating now.

We ask ourselves, “what was I thinking!?”

That’s because we learned through dating that person what we didn’t desire in a significant other. We didn’t see or realize beforehand because we didn’t know any better-it took a failed relationship to learn the lesson.

As a result of what we learned from those failed relationships, we will eventually attract the right person and go on to have a successful, amazing, life-long partnership with them.

Failing Forward

Failing Forward is when you use failure as a stepping stone to success, as opposed to using it as a road block.

Focusing on the future (what you can control) vs. dwelling on the past (what you can’t control).

This is how entrepreneurs that failed eventually made it.

You failed? No sweat!

You’ve got this!

Learn from the Past, Plan for the Future

Document in a journal what exactly happened-what led to the failure? Then document what you learned from the failure-the knowledge gleaned that you will take with you into the future.

Then, move forward.

In your future endeavors, never forget what you learned from past failures, because they’ll deter you from making the same mistakes again.

It’s one thing to make a mistake and learn from it-you likely didn’t know what the outcome would be, and now you know.

But to make the same mistakes repeatedly after you’ve seen the negative consequences is foolish and you will not progress further in life.

No Regrets Mentality

The worst thing you can do is waste time thinking “what if” or “if only.”

It is a complete waste of time.

Do not stew in your losses, whether we’re talking about a failed business, not reaching a goal, a lost job opportunity, succumbing to a bad habit, a failed relationship, etc.

Don’t dwell on the past. There is absolutely nothing you can do to change it.

I used to dwell on the past for years about various life failures and it got me NOWHERE.

So just don’t go there.

You don’t live there anymore.

Focus on your future.

Strategize

Now that you’ve documented the course of action that led to the failure, strategize a new plan and map out your next steps.

The beauty in failure is truly that it rules out what isn’t working and helps point you in the right direction of what will work.

Failures push you toward a brighter future when you understand them for what they truly are.

Set new goals for your next plan, and begin taking action.

Success Mindset

If you’re feeling discouraged and need a morale boost, I highly recommend creating your own list of positive affirmations and reciting them daily, every morning.

Create them as though you’ve already achieved what your heart desires. Use words like “I am” instead of “I will.”

You will probably feel stupid or silly at first, but I promise you, this works! I have a list I declare to my bathroom mirror every morning, and I have seen my confidence grow as a result!

Recommended Reading: Pep Talk by Terri Savelle Foy

Celebrate the Little Victories

On your way to success (whatever your version of success is-it looks different for everybody), don’t forget to celebrate the little victories. Document them in a journal and think of them as baby steps along the way to where you’re going.

When you accomplish one little victory, move on to accomplishing the next! Some day, you’ll look back and realize how those little baby steps add up over time.

Takeaways

Fearing failure and taking no action at all is the biggest failure (no pun intended) you will encounter in life because it will completely hinder you from accomplishing anything.

Avoiding failure by not taking action is dangerous.

Feeling defeated and discouraged when encountering failure as opposed to embracing it as a learning experience and seeing it as a “good” thing will delay your progress and possibly even derail your plans altogether.

Failure acts as a compass-it directs us where to go next.

Having the right mindset about failure will transform your mind and your life and it is through those failures you will achieve the success you desire.

“You’re standing in the middle of a blank piece of paper. Unleash your inner architect and design your path to success. Get wild, be creative, and don’t get distracted by the flow of traffic.” ~Lilly Singh

This world: Yours for the taking!

How do you handle failure? What is a big failure you encountered in life that ultimately led you to success? I love hearing from you, so please feel free to leave me a comment. ?

Read Next: