Why Failure can be such a benefit
When people think of the word failure, negative connotations are usually associated with it. In general, a person does not want to be a failure, because failing carries with it a stigma of that person not being good enough at whatever s/he failed at. And yet the reality is that everyday we encounter the risk of failure, and probably do fail at something, even if it’s something minor. I think, in this culture, it is easier to succeed then fail, because success is something we constantly shoot for. Failure, on the other hand, is something actively discouraged and frowned upon.
I think, however, that failure can be more than just a negative experience. While I wouldn’t go out of my way to fail, when it does occur, after my initial reaction, I welcome it, because failure is an excellent teacher. Failing at something can teach you a lot and not just about the mistake you’ve made. Learning what you did wrong is the most obvious lesson of failure, but you also learn how to fix the mistake, how to adapt the situation to rectify the mistake made and how to accept constructive criticism.
These are valuable skills, no matter what context they occur in. Whether you are apologizing to your partner, or working a little extra time to fix a mistake, or figuring out how to get that potential client to consider working with you a bit more effectively, these skills can help you grow as a person and as a professional. Failure does not have to be defined by what we haven’t accomplished or done right. Instead it can be help us define what we can do better, as well as learn how not to make a particular mistake the next time we have to do a similar process.
Failure is only a negative when we refuse to learn or adapt. At that point, failure becomes a negative because we’ve made the choice to let it define the situation and the self, instead of choosing to define it and the situation with the actions we take. So what actions can a person do to benefit from failure?
1. Be open to constructive criticism and suggestions. If someone offers a suggestion that can help you, be open to listening to it. Find out what you could do differently to ensure that the mistake doesn’t occur again.
2. Take a deep breath and center yourself. When you first realize a failure has occurred, it’s easy to react or get defensive. Take a deep breath and center yourself. Ask yourself what you’re feeling and acknowledge those feelings, but also ask if expressing them in a negative manner will benefit you or the other people involved in the situation. Do your best to listen to what others are saying and focus on what you can learn from what is offered.
3. Ask your self what you could do differently next time to avoid making the mistake. Also ask yourself what you can do now to rectify the situation. By looking at your process, you can learn a lot about how to change a situation into something more favorable, because you can account for where the failure occurred and look at possible ways to change the process to avoid that mistake in the future.
Failure can benefit you. It all depends on your attitude about it. While none of us want to fail, sometimes failing can teach us more than succeeding would. By doing your best to acknowledge how you feel about failing, but also accepting that it can happen, you can change a situation from a failure into a success.
Categories: Attitude, communication
Tags: Failure can be a benefit, Taylor Ellwood, turn failure into success
