How to Embrace Failure
Stop seeing failure as a measure of your self-worth., Focus on what you do well., Seek guidance from those you trust., Accept your limitations., Define failure as only temporary., Learn to anticipate failure.
Step-by-Step Guide
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Step 1: Stop seeing failure as a measure of your self-worth.
Failing can lead to sadness and frustration.
Perhaps you anticipated success or feel embarrassed that the situation didn't pan out; however, failure is not a measure of your worth or value as a person.
You are not dumb because you failed one exam.
You are not weak because you lost one karate match.
Use this moment for push forward rather than giving up.
Believe that you are resilient and can bounce back from failure.
Often your harshest critic is yourself.
See your self-worth through your ability to keep trying rather than giving up.While you may not be good at one thing, that doesn't mean that you're bad at everything. -
Step 2: Focus on what you do well.
After failure, you may feel like there's nothing good about you.
But in truth, everyone has something unique to them that they do well.
Some people are good listeners.
Some are handy with fixing things.
Some are dependable.
Some are artistic.
Use what you do well to your advantage in the future.
While it is important to improve things about yourself, it is also important to keep those good things strong.
Avoid overly negative thinking by focusing on the positive aspects of yourself and your life.
Think of three things that are going well in this current moment. , Don't let others determine your worth and value.
Avoid listening to negative people or those who bully you to get what they want.
When looking for guidance, trust those who care about and who are a dependable part of your life.Some friends or family may offer healthy criticism.
Avoid dismissing it, but also ask them to focus equally on the positives as well as the negatives.
Consider saying, "Thank you very much for the advice.
I will take it to heart.
I was also wondering, from your perspective, what are some things I've been doing well?" By opening up about your failing to others, you will feel less burdened or alone.
It can be a very important step to letting go of your negative feelings.
Chances are these people will have plenty of stories about their own failures, too. , The only person that you can control is yourself.
You may have had to forfeit a match after you accidentally got injured beforehand.
You may have submitted a team project that failed to meet expectations because one of your team members didn't do the work.
Your company may have failed to reach its goal of serving more than 500 clients due to a lack of resources.
By learning to distinguish what you can change, and what you can't, you can better understand how external things can impact your life.Take this as an opportunity to focus on what you can do.
For example, failing to get to work on time due to extreme weather circumstances may have been out of your control.
Yet, failing to get to work on time routinely due to time mismanagement may have been within your control.
When looking at a recent failure, consider writing down two lists, side by side.
One side includes the things that you can change about yourself or your situation.
The other side includes the external forces that you cannot control. , Failure is a loss, but avoid looking at this loss as permanent.
Failure happens at various points in our lives.
These points are temporary moments or small snapshots in the larger scope of your month, year, or lifetime.By seeing failure as temporary, it will seem less overwhelming.
It will feel like a small hill rather than a huge mountain.
When something is temporary, that means that it is more likely to adapt or change.
Thus, failure can become a positive thing as times change. , Accept that it can and will happen at some point.
This doesn't mean that because failure exists, then the best way to avoid it is to not try your best.
Anticipating failure means that you have considered different scenarios.
It means that you are flexible about what happens — whether you succeed or fail.Think about the possibility of failure in any situation.
See it as a way to be motivated to be more organized, more thorough, and more engaged.
Consider the scenarios in which you both win and fail.
Imagine how you might react.
Plan accordingly.
Focus your energy on how to be positive and stay motivated no matter the outcome.
Making back-up plans can help you avoid a fear of failure.
If you can anticipate failure and have a plan B and C, then you can more successfully face the prospect of failure with less fear. -
Step 3: Seek guidance from those you trust.
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Step 4: Accept your limitations.
-
Step 5: Define failure as only temporary.
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Step 6: Learn to anticipate failure.
Detailed Guide
Failing can lead to sadness and frustration.
Perhaps you anticipated success or feel embarrassed that the situation didn't pan out; however, failure is not a measure of your worth or value as a person.
You are not dumb because you failed one exam.
You are not weak because you lost one karate match.
Use this moment for push forward rather than giving up.
Believe that you are resilient and can bounce back from failure.
Often your harshest critic is yourself.
See your self-worth through your ability to keep trying rather than giving up.While you may not be good at one thing, that doesn't mean that you're bad at everything.
After failure, you may feel like there's nothing good about you.
But in truth, everyone has something unique to them that they do well.
Some people are good listeners.
Some are handy with fixing things.
Some are dependable.
Some are artistic.
Use what you do well to your advantage in the future.
While it is important to improve things about yourself, it is also important to keep those good things strong.
Avoid overly negative thinking by focusing on the positive aspects of yourself and your life.
Think of three things that are going well in this current moment. , Don't let others determine your worth and value.
Avoid listening to negative people or those who bully you to get what they want.
When looking for guidance, trust those who care about and who are a dependable part of your life.Some friends or family may offer healthy criticism.
Avoid dismissing it, but also ask them to focus equally on the positives as well as the negatives.
Consider saying, "Thank you very much for the advice.
I will take it to heart.
I was also wondering, from your perspective, what are some things I've been doing well?" By opening up about your failing to others, you will feel less burdened or alone.
It can be a very important step to letting go of your negative feelings.
Chances are these people will have plenty of stories about their own failures, too. , The only person that you can control is yourself.
You may have had to forfeit a match after you accidentally got injured beforehand.
You may have submitted a team project that failed to meet expectations because one of your team members didn't do the work.
Your company may have failed to reach its goal of serving more than 500 clients due to a lack of resources.
By learning to distinguish what you can change, and what you can't, you can better understand how external things can impact your life.Take this as an opportunity to focus on what you can do.
For example, failing to get to work on time due to extreme weather circumstances may have been out of your control.
Yet, failing to get to work on time routinely due to time mismanagement may have been within your control.
When looking at a recent failure, consider writing down two lists, side by side.
One side includes the things that you can change about yourself or your situation.
The other side includes the external forces that you cannot control. , Failure is a loss, but avoid looking at this loss as permanent.
Failure happens at various points in our lives.
These points are temporary moments or small snapshots in the larger scope of your month, year, or lifetime.By seeing failure as temporary, it will seem less overwhelming.
It will feel like a small hill rather than a huge mountain.
When something is temporary, that means that it is more likely to adapt or change.
Thus, failure can become a positive thing as times change. , Accept that it can and will happen at some point.
This doesn't mean that because failure exists, then the best way to avoid it is to not try your best.
Anticipating failure means that you have considered different scenarios.
It means that you are flexible about what happens — whether you succeed or fail.Think about the possibility of failure in any situation.
See it as a way to be motivated to be more organized, more thorough, and more engaged.
Consider the scenarios in which you both win and fail.
Imagine how you might react.
Plan accordingly.
Focus your energy on how to be positive and stay motivated no matter the outcome.
Making back-up plans can help you avoid a fear of failure.
If you can anticipate failure and have a plan B and C, then you can more successfully face the prospect of failure with less fear.
About the Author
Amanda Jones
Specializes in breaking down complex crafts topics into simple steps.
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