Failure. One word guaranteed to strike fear wherever it lands. It happens to everyone. Even those who we see as “living the dream”. But that doesn’t make it any less of a bitter pill to swallow when it comes a-knockin’ at our door.
So, you have two choices. Either, you can shrug it off, with an “Oh well, it wasn’t meant to be…” kind of approach, OR you can look for other ways to handle that F-word, a way to not only look at it more optimistically, but also to find clues within it for future success.
Now, for the purposes of this article, I’m going to assume that you’re all for taking option two. So, how can you flip that negative to a positive and come out the other end oh, so much wiser? Here are my three top tips:
1. “If I don’t start, I won’t fail” – how this mindset is killing you slowly
How many times have you caught yourself in this mindset? You procrastinate over a task so long that it (in your mind at least) becomes so much bigger and more complex than it actually is. You set yourself up for failure before you even start. You know, if we tell ourselves we are going to fail, then it becomes almost a self-fulfilling prophecy.
Remember, it is far better to do something imperfectly than nothing perfectly. Inaction is the biggest risk you can take. You end up nowhere…fast. Fear of failure is what keeps us rooted to the “now”. But, like any other fear, the only way to get the better of it, is to stare it straight in the eye and remember that failure comes from productivity – fear from doing nothing, from inactivity – which is better?
2. The benefits of thinking ahead
We have all heard Benjamin Franklin’s quote, “By failing to prepare, you are preparing to fail” – yep, that old chestnut – but it’s absolutely true in this scenario.
Many fail because they don’t take time to think ahead and plan for success. Without a plan, you have no roadmap, and wouldn’t you rather be on a super-highway heading to success, rather than a bumpy one-track road leading to who-knows-where?
Instead, head failure off at the pass by identifying risks at the planning stage. By “shooting holes” in a plan (either do this yourself as part of a review, or, even better, get someone you trust to do this for you).
By planning ahead, you get to envision your success – what will it look and feel like? And this is an important part of the process. By planning ahead, you switch from reactive to proactive, with a better view of any roadblocks or diversions in the path, allowing you to take action in plenty of time, and with confidence.
3. The hidden anchor of worrying too much.
We somehow think that one or two failures throughout our lives translates to us being a total failure. And, with that sort of mindset, that set of self-limiting beliefs, how can we ever hope to succeed?
But, picture yourself in x years’ time, as an elderly person. Wouldn’t you rather be laughing, remembering life’s hiccoughs, the bumps in the road and reminiscing about how things eventually played out, rather than lamenting the opportunities missed because you were too worried about “what could have happened” to accept them?
Failure is a fact of life, which everyone faces once in a while. Some you win, some you don’t – all you can do is roll with the punches. Change your mindset to one of reflecting on every failure as a lesson learned. A means, perhaps, of opening up new potential and new opportunities to explore.
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