Accessibility Tools

Newsletter Subscription

5 Tips for Overcoming Failure

5 Tips for Overcoming Failure

Failure: an act or instance of failing or proving unsuccessful; lack of success

I’m going to start this off with some questions for you – have you ever failed at something? If you answered yes, why did you fail? Was it because you decided to just give up? From what I’ve seen, the only way to fail at something is by giving up once you hit the bottom and don’t think there’s any way to pick yourself back up and accomplish your goal. Well, I’m here to give you five tips on how to pick yourself back up after failing.

1. You are not your failures

Life didn’t come with instructions. Accept that failures will happen. You are not your failures, you are not your struggles, and you are here now with the ability to shape your day and your tomorrow. No matter how muddled the past has been, the future is a clean, fresh, wide-open slate. What you do with it is up to you.

2. Failures are rarely as bad as they seem

Failures and setbacks are never as bad as they seem, and even when they are, they give us an opportunity to grow into a stronger person. You should never let one dark cloud cover the entire sky. The sun is always shining on some part of your life. Sometimes you just have to forget how you feel, remember what you deserve, and keep pushing forward.

3. Mistakes are simply a form of practice

Every professional was once an amateur. The sooner you get comfortable with practicing and making mistakes, the quicker you’ll learn the skills and knowledge necessary to master your art. You’ll never be 100% sure it will work, but you can always be 100% sure doing nothing won’t work. So get out there and try again. You will succeed or you will learn a vital lesson – this is an important thing to remember.

4. Life goes on

Mistakes are painful when they happen, but years later this collection of mistakes, called experience, leads us to success. If it’s good, it’s going to be wonderful. If it’s bad, it’s going to be an experience. Your mindset is at the heart of your success. You have to take the good with the bad, smile with the sad, love what you have and be thankful for what you had. Forgive yourself and others, but don’t forget. Learn from your mistakes, but don’t regret. Life is change, things go wrong, and life goes on.

5. Don’t let it become a part of your identity

Failure is something that happens, not something you are. Be careful not to blur the lines between failing at something and being someone who only fails. Our actions may define us, but our failures do not. The actions you take to move past failure and reach success will define you in the end.

I hope my tips to picking yourself up after a failure help you and I cannot wait to hear your feedback. Just remember - YOU are not your failures.