If you are human then you are bound to experience failure at some point. It is the great equalizer that we all make mistakes sometimes and we will all have times when we fail. Nobody is perfect. What sets us apart is how we handle failure. Therefore, we need to adjust our perspective and learn to see the positive outcomes of failure.
Failure is such a negative word that it is hard to see it as a good thing. When we make mistakes and don’t succeed, it is natural to feel disappointment. However, there are many positive outcomes from failure and ways that we can use the experiences for personal growth and, ultimately, happiness.
We learn resilience through failure
Resilience is our ability to recover quickly from difficulties and setbacks. In other words, resilience is toughness. Do failures and hard times knock you over? Are you unable to rebuild and bounce back after catastrophes and trials? If so, you need to build up your resilience and one of the ways to do that is to experience failure.
We don’t choose to experience failure, rather we spend most of our time trying to avoid it. This often means choosing a safe path and not trying new things. I especially notice this in children and teens who are so protected from failure and mistakes that they often don’t have to experience them. This protection from all failure does not serve our children well in the future. They’ll have less capacity to handle stress, disappointment and frustration.
Instead, we want our children to have the experience of some failure so they can learn to see past mistakes and harness their own inner strength. Each time we experience failure we grow in our resilience. We build up our ability to handle future problems and to not be overwhelmed. Resilience and toughness are positive outcomes of failure.
We grown stronger through failure
If you have ever experienced failure then you know that because of that experience, you are a stronger person. Each tough and disappointing situation we go through forces us to grow in knowledge, emotional strength and even grow stronger in our faith. We learn from trial and error and with each failure we grow stronger in knowledge. Our mindset that tells us we have made it through and can try again. We should change our perspective during failures and recognize the positive effect of growing in strength.
Success is 99% failure.
Soichiro Honda
Failure fuels determination
Most successful people will tell you that they tried and failed many times before reaching their goals of success. Most successful people will even tell you that failure was an integral and essential part of their success. Why? Because each time they failed, they learned something new. Each time they failed, they used the experience to motivate them to try again in a different way. For a motivational list of successful people and their inspiring stories of failure, read here.
This outcome of determination from failure applies to minor things like cooking a new recipe, playing a new piano song or swinging a golf club. It also applies to major life goals such as career steps, running a marathon and sticking to a healthy eating plan. Failures will temporarily stop you but if you let them, they can provide fuel for a fire to keep you going and trying again.
Failure builds character
Failing is one of the most character building experiences you go through. Trying at something and failing will lead you to two options; you can either be knocked down and ultimately fear trying again, or you can use it as a learning opportunity for personal growth. People who experience failure often gain humility, a fearless mindset and self-evaluation. Failure allows you the opportunity to look back and acknowledge and take responsibility for what went wrong. Experiencing failure can also help you to trust yourself and your abilities for future decisions.
Failure is the opportunity to begin again, more intelligently.
Henry Ford
Failure is a powerful tool. There are so many positive outcomes of failure and endless opportunities for personal growth. Try embracing failure and finding opportunity in adversity.
Challenge for this week:
Make a list of some times in your past when you have tried and failed at something. For each time, try to find at least one positive outcome. Now, use that memory to change your perspective and fears of future failures.