Many consider failure a devastating catastrophe and quickly becomes one. That is how powerful the mind is — it can make black white if it wants to. It does not mean that failure is something to crow about but you can train your mind to look at it from a brighter perspective. Perhaps, failure can mean loss of many things and should be chalked as a liability. However, if you give failure a second and a deeper look, it can be an asset, too. Consider the following seldom appreciated benefits of failure:
- Failure is the best teacher one can have. Business schools may teach and discuss various theories on how to succeed in business but failure provides practical on-the-job lessons in running a business which leave lasting imprints on the mind. It first shows the actual impact of the misstep committed and then teaches how it could be avoided in the future. No books on management could present a business theory more vividly and clearly. Failure does not talk about it but makes you actually experience how the theory works and what happens if it is ignored. Could you find a more eloquent teacher?
- Failure is the best gym instructor there is. It exercises and strengthens your mental muscles to wrestle with the ups and downs of life. Unless you actually go through hardships and setbacks, you do not learn how to prod on and persevere when the going gets rough — and it will, sooner or later. Failure makes you bolder in setting more challenging goals because it prepares you to face the trials in attaining them.
- Failure is the most steadfast stepping-stone to prop you up. Every failure that comes your way moves you up a notch nearer to your goals. Every failure leaves you a sound foundation to step on based on experience and not merely on lectured theories. Remember that “Success is stumbling from failure to failure with no loss of enthusiasm.”
- Failure is a one-on-one tutorship tailored-made for you. Do not mind what your detractors and critiques say because what you are learning is derived from your own failures and may not be relevant or exactly conforms to others’ opinions.
Failure’s devastating effects are often exaggerated. Often times, the perceived outcomes of mistakes are correctible and are rarely life-threatening, career-wise, that is. As Tim Ferris advices in his book, The 4-Hour Work Week, when committing a mistake, “you can always apologize later”.
- Failure is NOT you. Your failures are just small parts of your life and do not describe the entire you. Separate your self esteem from your failures. Also, when you fail, it just shows that you are a cut above the crowd, mostly whom only dream but never take action for fear of failing. You should consider your failure as something to be proud of because it shows that you are bold and brave enough to take action.
Remember that there are so many factors affecting your life, failures are just among them. Some, you have control over, others you do not. Let go of the things that are beyond your control. Concentrate on what you can control, and in case you fail, at least gave your all. At the end, that is all that matters.