Earlier today, I asked on my Facebook Page what holds people back from setting goals. By and large, the overwhelming response was that a fear of failure is what is keeping most back from attempting to set goals.
Failure is Inevitable
Here’s the thing, you are going to fail in life. Failure is evidence that you’re trying.
If you’re jumping out and trying new things, taking some risks, and living life to your fullest potential, failing at some things is unavoidable. We aren’t always going to be able to do everything well nor will every idea we have turn into a golden idea.
But failing at something doesn’t make you a failure; it makes you human.
Failure Doesn’t Have to Define You
Failure doesn’t define you — unless you let it. You can choose to wallow in despair over the fact that you failed at something, or you can choose to pick yourself back up, dust yourself off, and move forward.
3 Things To Do When You Fail
1. Ask Yourself Why?
When you find that you are failing at something, or you’re at the bottom and have already miserably failed, one of the best things you can do is to step back and ask yourself “Why?” You can’t come up with a solution until you first isolate the problem.
Are you going about something the wrong way? Did you set unrealistic goals in the first place? Are there specific hindrances and roadblocks keeping you from success?
At the beginning of this year, I was all gung-ho about switching to a paperless planning system. I was so sure it was going to make my life and business run smoother.
But a few months into the year, I realized that I was feeling scatter-brained and disorganized as a result of trying so hard to make a paperless planning system work. As I began analyzing why it wasn’t working well for me, I realized that I remember things better when I write them down rather than type them in.
Since I was typing in my projects and responsibilities, I was having trouble remembering them. And while I could also check my phone or my computer, I just wanted to also be able to be able to recall them mentally, too.
2. Make Sure You’re Not Trying to Be Someone Else
As I talked about yesterday, it’s easy for us to feel like failures when we compare ourselves to someone we’re not. And honestly, I think much of our feelings of failure are not truly failure at all — they are actually just feelings of inadequacy that are a result of comparing ourselves to other people.
One of the big reasons I wanted a paperless planning system to work for me was because I saw how it was working so well for my husband. I also had read articles online describing its brilliancy.
But what works well for one person doesn’t always work for others — as I quickly found out. So instead of beating myself up for “failing” at a paperless planning system, I instead decided to accept the fact that it might be a fantastic idea for others, but it just wasn’t the best thing for me.
3. Consider What You Can Learn From Your Mistakes
Failure is not fun. It’s not glamorous. And it won’t usually win you any accolades.
Despite this, I have come to believe that failure is my friend. Through failure, I’ve discovered weaknesses and shortcomings in my life, I’ve pinpointed character that I need to work on, and I’ve uncovered many, many ways to do things that don’t work.
I wouldn’t have chosen all of the failures I’ve experienced in life, but in retrospect, I’m realizing that learning invaluable lessons the hard way has helped me develop as a person, shaped the way I approach things in life, and made me a better wife, mother, friend, and business owner.
Instead of running from failure, take time to really examine what you can learn from it so that you don’t make the same mistakes again. By doing so, you’ll probably agree with me that failure can become your greatest teacher to propel you onward and upward!
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