Failure is a part of life. No matter how much we try to avoid it or prevent it, sometimes it just happens. I can’t tell you all the failures I’ve experienced in my life, mainly because I can’t remember them all. What I do know is that failure hurts. It cuts really deep and you feel so bad because of it. Whether you fail a class, get fired form a job, or whatever the case is, I know how painful the experience can be. But look at it this way, maybe that failure was a blessing in disguise, maybe another opportunity will come, or maybe whatever it is that you were doing just wasn’t for you.
Everything in life will take a little piece from you, but don’t let it destroy you; you can’t be perfect. We can only do the best we can. And if it’s any consolation at all, if you tried the best you can, then you didn’t fail. Some things just aren’t meant to be. My best advice for experiencing failure is listed below, next time you’re going through a hard time, give it a read as I hope it helps in some way.
Let Your Pain Be Your Motivation
To some people, failure may not be a big deal, but if this is something you truly wanted and for whatever reason it didn’t work out, it’s okay to be emotional. I don’t see the point in bottling up your feelings. If you need to cry, then cry. If you need to scream, then scream. Don’t keep yourself together when all you want to do is fall apart. Give yourself a few days to feel whatever it is you need to feel. After, turn your emotions into motivation to strive to do better and be better. I truly believe good things come out of pain, struggle, and hardship and the best success stories come from people who have hit rock bottom but refused to let that define them. Mark Zuckerberg, Walt Disney, J.K Rowling, Oprah and Michael Jordan are just a few examples. Trust in your struggle, your life story will be so much better with a few plot twists.
Reflect
After you’ve allowed yourself a few days to filter through your emotions, it’s a good idea to outline why things happened the way they did. As difficult as it may be, everything you do in life is a learning experience. Reflecting back to past mistakes may help you realize what went wrong, why things went wrong, and what can be done for next time. There is nothing wrong with wanting to do better next time.
Don’t Beat Yourself Over it Too Much
As cliché as it sounds, everyone has experienced some sort of failure in their life. If you haven’t, then you have lived a very privileged and meaningless life. Yes, meaningless. You need to fail a million times in order to figure out what is truly best for you at the end of the day. Even if things go the way you expected them, how else are you supposed to learn if something is or isn’t meant for you without trying it in the first place? And if you fall flat on your face so what?
At least you tried. It happens to the best of us. Every single person on this planet has had a struggle of some sort. Don’t single yourself out and be your own worst enemy. For every time you fall, you will be one step closer to finding out whatever it is you’re looking for.
Don’t Give Up.
If you could take one piece of advice and nothing else, take this. Never, ever give up on yourself. No matter what life throws at you, no matter who says you can’t do something, no matter how many people don’t believe in you. Never stop believing in yourself. No one knows what you are capable of except for you.
Even if one thing didn’t work out, it doesn’t mean something else won’t. Think about all the opportunities out there and you have just starched the surface. Think about all the people that have been told they weren’t capable and went on to achieve great things. I think Winston Churchill said it best: “success is not final; failure is not fatal… it is the courage to continue that counts.”