Tobi Oluwatoyin
You’re not and won’t be the only one to ever experience Failure.
You, too, want to be successful, but you’ve had a string of setbacks and failures that have left you wondering if there’s any point in sticking with your vision.
However, famous stories of the failings of now successful people such as J.K Rowling and Albert Einstein should be celebrated; as they are real-time evidence to the fact that failure often becomes a stepping stone to and for our future.
As far as I know, failure is something that all of us will have to live through at some point in our lives, some more than others. It is inevitable to anyone seeking a brighter tomorrow.
Like I mentioned earlier, some of the greatest achievers of our time have lived through catastrophic failure, to then achieve undeniable levels of success.
Author of the globally recognized ‘Harry Potter’ books J.K Rowling knew a lot about failure just before she went on to write one of the biggest selling books of all time. She was divorced, a single parent and completely penniless, according to her story, she wrote some of the chapters for her first book on the napkins from the café she often sat in.
And again we heard of Albert Einstein. His tough touches with failure were no different- unable to speak until the age of four, incapable of reading until seven. Teachers and doctors thought him mentally handicapped – he grew up to become a noble prize winner and one of the greatest scientists of all time.
Instead of choosing to see your failure as an indication of you being incapable or unworthy in some way, just see it for what it really is – a tool to help you straighten your journey.
Every single time we take action or make a decision, we produce a result. You may either choose to interpret this result in a positive or negative light – but when you interpret your result negatively it is your thoughts and your interpretations inside your head that are making you feel bad – Nothing else.
How you choose to interpret the result and outcomes of your actions define whether or not you go on to achieve real success.
Among the successful ones today, one common attribute is usually this; whenever they experience results that others may consider to be a failure, they do not think any less of them-self -Nor do they consider this result to be permanent in any way. Instead, they consider that they have taken action and that although the result was not what they actually wanted, it has taught them something that will take them one step closer to their personal goals – especially at their next try.
They find it very easy to understand that the most important thing of all about failure is that the more setbacks we encounter and the harder things begin to seem, the closer we are getting to achieving our dreams.
When you are experiencing and facing failure, here are five steps to turn those failures into your greatest success:
1. Acknowledge and take responsibility for what has happened.
Some people when people are staring failure straight in the face, they tend to ‘step back’ rather than ‘fight’. However, hiding away from your problems is not the way forward. If you truly want to move on from your failures and use them to achieve prosperity, then you must first accept and face what has happened.
Whether you unexpectedly find yourself in the midst of a messy break-up, are fired from your job or are on the receiving end of a rejection letter, just accept it for what it is. It is normal to feel bad but there is no use in getting lost in feelings of hurt and self-pity, this will get you nowhere. Take a twinkle moment to grieve for what has passed and then take it for what it is “a rough part of your journey to success”.
2. Learn from your mistakes.
Now you know you made a decision and it didn’t get you the results that you had wanted. So what now? Here’s the deal!
Sometimes, some of our failures can offer us one of the greatest opportunities of all; the opportunity to learn more (the right way) and improve. You’ve tried something and it didn’t pay off, but now you must be brave enough to use this as the valuable lesson that taught you.
Look sincerely at the mistakes that you made and be determined that you will never make the same ones again. After which you need to decide what you will do differently next time. Don’t be scared nor discouraged ‘you may still fail again’. But every time this comes your way, you will learn something new and succeed at growing as a person.
3. Regain your focus.
Sometimes, our failures and setbacks can start to distort and confuse our goals and our understanding of who we really are. Don’t let this happen to you. In-response allow your failures to give you greater clarity in what you want and where you are going.
Examine your own life as a person: How badly do you want this? Keep reminding yourself that the challenges you face will remain just as difficult as before. Therefore, you must focus on becoming the very best that you can be, in order to overcome them totally.
4. Call on the support of others.
It is being said that we are only ever as great as the people that we surround ourselves with. This is an absolute truth – so when you find yourself in times of need, surround yourself with the right people that will uplift and support you. And anyone that tries to tell you that you should give up, should be avoided at all costs.
Any successful and motivating people that you may know let them lift you in your times of trouble with their love and good words. If they actually know you well enough and care for you, they will want to see you realize your dreams – so let them know when you have failed, they may be able to point you back in the right direction at the earliest.
5. Prepare and be ready for your second chance!
When you have passed through these previous four stages, you are ready to dust off the old boxing gloves and start ‘right’ over again!
You must use what you have learned, about yourself and your actions, as well as from others you know, to get back in the ring and knock your failure for six! Let your world see you come back stronger and ready, and then prepare yourself for that final push to success.
The more hardship, blood and sweat you endure on your journey, the much more sweeter your success will eventually be.
No one has ever said that we have only one shot to success in this life. Don’t give up just yet! Give your dreams that second – third, fourth, fifth chance that it deserves and you should be successful and thank yourself in the end.
Thank you for reading!
