There’s been such the emphasis placed on success in our society that it’s created a barrier for individuals to admit failure even though it’s those times when we fail to achieve what we want to achieve which can teach us the most about ourselves and our work and enable us to become more creative.
I have many stories of my work for young people where it was easy to navigate the system without difficulty and without problems or obstacles until a sudden obstacle appears that has left the gifted and talented teenager apprehensive and confused. The doors that have always opened easily are now closing – and they don’t have the options, a different view of the future, or strategies to handle that disappointment and disappointment. They aren’t sure how to utilize the event as a source of resilience and make use of it as a “set-up” to achieve their goals in the future, as they’ve not been taught how to handle their lives in this way. This isn’t what the education system in our present system is doing and unfortunately, it leaves many victims as a result, who are stigmatized and labeled as failures, when it’s not necessary to feel this way.
Failure
By focusing on a different angle If we consider “failure” as simply not achieving what we set out to achieve at this point, and recognize that we achieved something, even if it wasn’t expected or desired It’s easier to acknowledge that failure is just a temporary mistake that can be fixed and modified. The shift from “Trial and Error” and moving to ‘Try-all and Win is a significant change, and it allows us to think about, reconsider and go forward.
Fear
If we can accept the fact that we’re not likely to get better with every effort, or test, (think experimenting and persevering rather than tedium and anxiety!) The worry of not reaching our goals is gone and we are more comfortable in discovering new ways to tackle what we wish to achieve. If we are aware that dips, plateaus, and even troughs may be found in conjunction with pinnacles and peaks and pinnacles, it is possible to integrate it into how things actually are. this helps ease the pressure.
Fear is a significant factor that hinders our chances of success, however, it’s much more difficult to get rid of it in a culture that is centered around winning and being right. Fear of failing, of being judged as in a way unworthy and unworthy, is something that all of us have experienced at one time or another. It’s being able to persevere that allows us to continue towards the next level of success.
Feedback
This is the point where Feedback is crucial. If we are able to be patient and willing to fail, instead of sulking or resigning and resigning ourselves to failure, we can learn valuable lessons from the process, that can be carried with us for the next challenge. When it comes to NLP (neuro-linguistic programming) one of the assumptions is that there isn’t any failure, but only feedback’. Your outcomes will reveal what you must know so that you can advance.
In a sense, this is the case, but explaining that to someone who’s just had exam results that are definitely not enough to allow them to attend the school they were hoping to attend is not a simple task! The language used in education defines the terms ‘pass’ and “fail’ in a very clear manner. The feedback is evident: you didn’t respond properly to the question. The feedback from failure is to learn more, apply it better to do it again. To reach the point of accepting that it was best, in the end, requires patience and sensibility.
Fascination
What happens when you don’t get what need? How do you handle it with more grace? Are you able to be captivated by your failure in order to experience it as an analyst, researcher, or observer and analyst, in the spirit that is characteristic of scientific methodology which is always seeking to debunk its hypothesis and, consequently, accept the process instead of the results? Do you learn from your mistakes in a manner that is gracious and empathetic to utilize them as a tool that will propel you towards success?
If you are able to reach the point where you think to yourself, “How interesting it is!’ while you fail, or do not get the results you desire instead of swearing or screaming and sulking, you’ll discover additional clues about what must be done next time in order to achieve success. It’s more enjoyable to be intrigued than frustrated and is more likely to get you the result you desire quicker.
What do you like about failure? What failures could you use as a source of inspiration for you to achieve your goals in the near future?
We’d like to hear from you.
(c)Christine Miller 2012
With a wide and varied career that spans a range of industries and positions for over 25 years. Christine Miller focuses mainly on the development of personal growth, energy, and potential that is not fully realized by other people.
As the Founder Editor of the highly acclaimed ReSource publication (which has grown into an online provider of intelligence) and being a published author or speaker, poet, consultant as well as an executive coach, and mentor She has developed an extensive personal and leadership style which she has learned and refined from her experience with the most influential thinkers in the world.
She recently sat down with over 50 leaders from around the world in order to study love and compassion within organizations. The findings will be released in 2012 in the form of a book. It will also be offered as training and workshops that will help bring more empathy, collaboration, and love to workplaces.
Her most recent project is the Resource Foundation/Institute for Resourceful Intelligence. This foundation assists by bringing together genius thinking minds from Education, Human and Business Development, and Spirituality that showcases diverse, divergent ideas and approaches together in a non-competitive atmosphere.
Author, Transforming Leadership & Culture, Mentor, Poet, Speaker, Founder Editor, Publisher, Entrepreneur, Educator, Advocate of Love, Futurist