Failure, a tool for success

I was once told that societies obsessed with success make it uncomfortable for those who fail; they see failure as the worst thing that has ever happened to them.  Thinking thoroughly through this statement, I then observed that for a fact, society never rewards defeat and you will barely find many failures documented in history books except for those which became stepping stones to success. 

Failure! To a lot of people, what comes to mind is a depiction of a place of no return, a dead end, or a situation that offered no prospects of improvement.  Some say it’s like being in a tunnel without light, without hope or destination but the trick lies in approaching it with the right attitude and harnessing it as a blessing, not a curse. 

A person who has never failed at anything in life may not fully recognize and apprehend the struggles others pass through to attain a certain level in life and I’m assertive to say that those who have failed recurrently end up being more innovative than those who haven’t. Why is that? Failing provides a cave of new discoveries and offers one the creative ability to do things better the next time.  It is an eye opener and a huge learning process that enables one reassess what exactly went wrong and fully understand that the previous focus wasn’t in the right direction. This time, you have developed a thicker skin, a braver heart and mapped out different strategies on how to take necessary measures in undergoing specific tasks, knowing there’s something new to bring to the table and something significant to take home.

A major factor that prevents one from overcoming failure is the mindset, our mentality and I will narrow this down into 2 segments. Here, I will talk on two mindsets I find fascinating about people.

Mindset 1: This type of mindset is fearful of making mistakes. Those who fall into this category are very indecisive and are always stuck in their decision making. Their mind is never made up. They neither move forward nor backward that’s why they always remain in their comfort zones. They are more risk averse than risk takers. Such people are scared of trying out new things and wonder if they will be able to trace their way back to where they were, if they eventually fail. 

Mindset 2: This type of mindset is fearful of losing out on opportunities.  They hate sitting on the sidelines while someone else gets away with a great idea. People who fall into this category are very adventurous. Regardless of any environmental hazard, they are risk takers, entrepreneurs, highly creative and innovative people. They do not pay much attention to risk until these risks become real problems, but if some of them begin to fail, they might find themselves falling into the category of Mindset 1.

Now the thing most people do not understand is that expecting to sail through in life without hiccups is unrealistic and this sets you to fall harder when failure does occur. The road to success is paved with the bricks of failure. Never expect to experience a smooth lane. Learning to embrace failure and seeing it as a successful tool will carve a broad niche sooner than expected.

HOW DO WE SEE FAILURE AS A SUCCESSFUL TOOL?

• See it as life’s greatest teacher not an undertaker:  It helps show you how to tread wisely. Document all lessons learned and apply them in your next endeavor.

• It helps analyze your SWOTs (Strengths, Weaknesses, Opportunities and Threats): By applying this mechanism, you can easily identify areas in your life that need improvement, thereby knowing where your strength lies.  Focus on those strengths to be able take advantage of opportunities when they arise and work on your weaknesses to eliminate all threats that will pose themselves as hindrances to achieving your objective.

•  You develop a fearless mindset: This is the “Mindset 2 category”.  As the legendary boxer Muhammad Ali once declared “Only a man who knows what it is like to be defeated can reach down to the bottom of his soul and come up with extra ounce of power it takes to win when the match is even” Successful people also make mistakes but they never give up. They overcome their fears and are quick to learn from their mistakes.That's what makes them stand out from the crowd.

One of the biggest fears we have is the fear of failure and that is the greatest barrier to success. It holds us back from realizing our fullest potentials and achieving our goals. Some people prefer to play safe and apply what i call the "KIS Method" (Keep-It-Simple) which to me is fine, but making it a habitual process could be a little risky as it makes you forgo potential opportunities and push yourself into mediocrity.  

Failure is delay not defeat. 

It’s a temporary detour and not a dead end.

Embrace it!

The short clip below gives you a highlight of famous leaders who failed at the beginning of their careers and later on succeeded.

                      

I hope you found this article useful.

See you in my next post.

~Ada~