In our high-achieving fast pace society, failure is often seen as the worst situation that one can encounter. Rather than embracing failure as a learning and growth opportunity, those who fail in some aspect of their lives will often see it as a stumbling block, telling them that they are not capable of overcoming their weaknesses.
The truth is that failure is never the end of the road. It is simply an indicator that there are some parts of ourselves and our lives that we need to put more effort into in order to get the results that we desire.
Here are 4 ways to deal with failure and pick yourself back up;
Acknowledge the failure
It’s pertinent to acknowledge failure in your life when it occurs. This will help you to identify what it is you need to focus on, so that you can approach the situation in a new way for success in the future.
That being said, it is important to acknowledge the failure but not to dwell on the failure, or to take it personally. When all you think about is the failure or you begin to associate yourself as a failure because you failed to do something correctly, it brings down your mood and your mindset for success.
View failure as a learning opportunity
We should know that failing does not mean that you have lost. It also doesn’t mean that you need to be prevented from moving forward because of the failure.
Shift your perspective and view failure as an opportunity to grow and learn. Once you see failure in this light, you can then begin to approach it with a different mindset; a mindset that will help you to quickly transform your actions into ones that lead to success.
Create a map that will help translate failure into success
When faced with failure, it can be difficult to convince ourselves to move forward. This is especially true if the failure that you were faced with was large and required a lot of work to go from point A to the not-so-successful point B.
No matter what the size of your failure is, don’t be afraid to go back to the beginning and map out each of your decisions. Which ones worked? Which ones were unsuccessful? Once you’ve identified what didn’t work out, you can begin to replace those actions with better ones that will translate into success.
Accept responsibility for your role in the failure
Taking responsibility for the things you did wrong will help you in the long run. When faced with failure, your first instinct may be to direct the failure in another direction.
For example, you may choose to blame your failure on an external factor or on another person. Although this will help you feel better in the short-term and drive away the fear that typically comes with failure, it won’t help you to recognize your own role in the failure.
Only by recognizing your role in the failure will you be able to identify your shortcomings and do better next time!