Scoop on Failure

There have been pivotal moments in my career journey when I have said to myself, “if I could do things differently, what would I do?” Can’t we just be happy for our success? The problem is, we all have this mindset that we are not good enough or self-doubt because we fear failure, or maybe we are influenced by what other people are telling us. The reality is, mindset does matter, and those negative voices in our head doubt continually, telling us – you are not good enough — you can do better – you are a failure! When the self-doubt creeps in, it is so difficult to remain positive as the thoughts ruminate in our minds and take over our thoughts. If we believe we are a failure or that we will fail, you know what, we will. Recognize these are thoughts that we put out in the universe and over time become believable even to oneself.

The key to success is recognizing you are on a journey and you will come across potholes, roadblocks and barriers trying to get in the way of your success and possibly steer you in a different direction. Don’t allow that to happen – you are smarter and better than you believe. Stay the course and share with the world that you have what it takes. It can be scary at times because you feel vulnerable and scared, these feelings are normal, but know that you have nothing to prove to anyone, but yourself. If YOU believe, they will believe.

Remember, failure is a powerful teacher. One of my favorite authors on leadership, John C. Maxwell wrote a best-selling book called “Sometimes you Win, Sometimes you Learn. Instead of looking at failure negatively — as something to avoid at all costs — we should reframe and view it as a learning opportunity.

As John C. Maxwell says, “Fail early, fail often and always fail forward.”

1. First, try. Don’t not try out of fear of failure.
2. The next, try — whether you “win” or you “learn” — may be the gateway to success.

If fear of failing is holding you back, consider that the next attempt may be the successful path you desire. And if you do “fail”, it may be the doorway to learning the secret to success.

If you’ve failed before, recognize, first, that you are NOT a failure. You are a brave, courageous soul. What can you learn from that attempt? What can it teach you about success?

Consider this beautiful analogy from Jacob Riis: “Look at a stone cutter hammering away at his rock, perhaps a hundred times without as much as a crack showing in it. Yet at the hundred-and-first blow it will split in two, and I know it was not the last blow that did it, but all that had gone before.”

Be the stone cutter. Continue to hammer away at your rock, chipping away, effort by effort. As Robert Collier says, “Success is the sum of small efforts — repeated day in and day out.”

Sometimes the most uncomfortable learning is the most powerful. Don’t be afraid to take a risk because of fear of failing, you won’t know what is truly in store for you if you don’t try.

If you are interested in learning more about this topic, get in contact with me.