Asking yourself, “why am I a failure?” describes how much of your goals have drifted away from the initial plan.
You’re not failing. Failure may have halted your plans and dreams. But on the contrary, it has also set you a step forward to where you’re meant to be. Even though it’s not necessarily what you want today.
Why Failure is Better than Success
Experiencing failure is better than celebrating instant success. People are too fixated on success, but what defines real success is the amount of failure you’ve gone through to reach it.
Failure is part of the journey – the ups and downs.
Success is a mere end result. It’s the milestone. But, everyone can get the milestone.
For example, a cheating student will receive his diploma. But the weight of recognition is insignificant compared to a student who strived his way to graduate.
Choose the many failures over an immediate success. Do not miss the opportunities you could have grown from. Experiencing failure sets your trajectory higher and farther.
6 Advice for Failure and How to Accept It Better
1. Stop looking at the end result; the game’s just starting.
Many people get devastated after a failure because they think it shall dictate their whole life. It doesn’t.
I recently watched a Youtube video about a self-made entrepreneur named Gary Vee. You probably heard him before, but I only watched him recently. I very much agree with his take on being risky while you’re young.
People between ages 20-30 should take the courage doing risks. It IS your time to fail. But never fear failure because you will grow from it.
2. Don’t let people’s opinion get to you
Whose opinion weighs the most? Who are you trying to impress?
I’ve learned the hard way that trying to impress people leads to fear. Listening to opinions may lead you to deal with excessive self-consciousness, just like me. When I worked to impress people, I end up halting before I make a fool of myself.
I hate it when people laugh at me. But when you have a strong belief that no one’s opinion matters, you will be freer. People will appreciate your work more.
Don’t let the opinion of the unequipped define you.
3. You failed AND learned.
We grow from failure, and not from success.
Successful people are rich in stories of triumph. They can teach you a lot. Advice and guidance come from people who went through the process.
Take out the lesson and testimony from whatever failure you experienced today. List it down and remind yourself that it’s part of the journey.
4. Be thankful you got redirected
Before, I was so used to winning, that I fear losing and deny criticisms.
Just like anyone else, I’ve always had a plan. We fight hard to make it happen.
And when it doesn’t happen, we feel anxious. But what we don’t realize is there are better actions to take and it will lead to a better opportunity.
For example, way back in 2017, I tried answering surveys, typing a captcha, and almost everything I can think of to just earn money online. Nothing happened. Didn’t earn a single penny from all of those!
But since I was eager to reach this goal, I persisted. I changed my ways, researched more, and put on the hard work and patience.
Now, I earn from freelancing and got some passive income streams that I’m still working on.
Failure isn’t the end, it’s redirecting you to try new things.
5. Stop craving for immediate perfection
Many people just wish they can be a great writer, a popular influencer, or an entrepreneur.
But what people don’t realize is, these struggled with sleepless nights to polish their work. It isn’t an overnight success.
“He’s so lucky!” they say. But it wasn’t luck.
Winston Churchill came with one of the best advice for failure.
He says, “Success is not final; failure is not fatal. It is the courage to continue that counts.”
6. Do more of what you love
“I’m a failure at life” – really?
Well, to be fair, that could be true.
You fail at life when you try to live other people’s lives. You forgot to do what makes you happy because you’re busy trying to impress everyone.
Give enough time for what you really love. Focus on polishing your strengths, rather than hurting yourself from trying to fit in a role you’re not even passionate about.
4 Truths about Failure you Should Remember
Yes, failure stings. Losing your job, a game, your dreams can become unbearable. But the real purpose of failure is not to put you down. Here are some truths you must learn about failure:
1. Failure is redirection.
Failure to get a job, to be financially stable, or to lose a plan is demotivating. This is true if you look on that side of the coin.
People are told to think failure is a negative aspect, that when you fail, you lose. But you may be surprised how many successful entrepreneurs failed and rose from it.
Failure helps you recognize the best way to tackle a problem. If plan A doesn’t work, you’re forced to walk on Plan B-Z to find the best solution – just like how scientists test a product a hundred times to prove its value.
2. Failure is a wake-up call
Failure means something’s not working right, and that’s beautiful. It’s like a ringing bell telling you to become better.
I was a horrible writer when I started my writing career. I disliked the editor’s criticisms and left the platform.
When I accepted where I lacked, there were people who were willing to help me. By accepting failure’s wake-up call and learning from it, you will eventually bloom from the ground.
3. Failure builds your character
Many people don’t try because they feared to be looked down on. Been there, done that.
But failure isn’t as useless as you think.
Failure either makes you stronger or shuts you down. It carves what kind of person you will be.
For example, a man who takes on the experience becomes more knowledgeable on his craft. A man who fears failure ends up wondering if he will ever become significant. Which character will you build?
4. Life would be boring without failure
Life is like sports. The game will be boring if all 8 athletes compete and all win every time. Like, what’s the sense of hard work if competitors are bound to winning, anyway?
People celebrate wins more significantly after a series of losses.
Inspirational stories of success are more valuable because of the triumph. We know happiness because we know sadness. In the same way, we can’t truly appreciate success if failure didn’t even take place.
Final Say
Failure fuels our success, not demean it. We must look at the other side of the coin where failure forces us to grow. Failure is always an opportunity for us to change and improve.
It’s an overall eye-opener.
How about you? What’s the biggest failure you had in life and how did you grow from it? You can comment it down below!
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