Living and Learning: What Can Failure Teach Us About Success?
Let’s be honest: everyone fails
Failure comes in many forms. Did you use incorrect data on a team presentation? Did you sell an idea that didnt work out? Were you passed over for a promotion? Guess what? Its OKAY to fail and here are four reasons why.
Failure is feedback on what didnt work
At the end of the day, failure is simply a stark form of feedback. It provides an opportunity to take stock of all actions taken to that point, decide which yielded positive results, and focus on those moving forward, while eliminating or tweaking those actions that did not aid your efforts.
It's a reality check. When we experience the consequences of mistakes, we get a clear message about which of our efforts are working--and which are not. The feedback we get from our mistakes can be the most specific, pointed, and powerful feedback we'll ever get. Many times we can trace mistakes to recurring patterns of belief or behavior--things we do, say, and think over and over again. (1).
Failure provides clarity on your path to success
The best thing you can do when an idea or course of action doesnt pan out is to step back, reflect, and move forward with a revised mindset. Is this is the correct course of action generally? What role did you play in the failure? Is this an opportunity to evaluate your goals for the future?
Working on possible solutions, redefining what we want or expect, or reexamining our values or goals can lead us to more clarity about our path. (1).
Failure builds character
When we have chosen a course of action, and that action doesn’t work out, we are often tempted see such failure as a reflection of ourselves and our own limitations. However, by choosing to see failure as a tool for growth, we are able to efficiently build our character through adversity. Let’s take a look at some key personality traits that can be built upon our reactions to failure.
Accountability
It is more empowering to look for our role in the mistake. Taking responsibility for a failure may not be fun. But the act of doing so points out what we can do differently next time. (1).
Resilience
Resilience can help you build a growth mindset. It can help you adopt the right behaviors to overcome change. And it can help you build grit, tenacity, and motivation. (3).
Creativity
Failure forces you to search for an alternative. You are forced to push yourself. Innovation becomes your necessity. (2).
Failure is an opportunity to Embrace change
As we have established, failure can lead to many forms of reflection and to exploration of alternatives. Sometimes, failure forces us to take a different path or pursue a different course of action. Within failure is an opportunity to embrace positive change and to adopt a growth mindset.
Reflection is an important part of failure. Without reflection, we wouldn’t learn. It’s important that after we fail, we take a moment to sit with it. (3).
Citations
Derrow, Carson. “7 Life Lessons That Only A Failure Can Teach You.” Entrepreneurship Life, 23 Aug. 2016, www.entrepreneurshiplife.com/7-life-lessons-failure-teach/.
Medlock, Lisabeth Saunders. “Don’t Fear Failure: Nine Powerful Lessons We Can Learn From Our Mistakes.” HuffPost, HuffPost, 4 Jan. 2015, www.huffpost.com/entry/dont-fear-failure-9-powerful-lessons-we-can-learn-from-our-mistakes_b_6058380.
Miles, Madeline. “Why Learning from Failure Is Your Key to Success.” BetterUp, 20 Mar. 2022, www.betterup.com/blog/learning-from-failure#:~:text=I%20often%20think%20of%20the,us%20adopt%20that%20growth%20mindset.
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