“Failure is so important. We speak about success all the time. It is the ability to resist failure or use failure that often leads to greater success. I've met people who don't want to try for fear of failing.”
– J.K. Rowling
The above quote said it all about why it is important that we embrace failure. We all will face failure at some point of our lives but it is how we handle it that counts.
Take a look at the 5 ways to handle failure:
People fail. All of us do. Failure itself isn’t a problem, but it can be devastating if you respond poorly to it. That is, it’s up to you what failure means to you. If you face enough failure, success does not come, period.
As some are motivated by failure, others are slowed by it. Here are some ideas to help failure teach you and fuel you forward.
1. Devalue Individual Attempts
Michael Jordan was cut from his high school basketball team. If that was his one and only attempt at becoming a basketball star, he would not have succeeded. But he had many many more opportunities to show his talent and prove those coaches wrong, and subsequently became the greatest player ever.
Those who struggle to handle failure tend to overemphasize that one instance in which they failed. They overvalue its true importance, which is almost always small, even when it seems significant.
Basketball is a great metaphor for failure because of the nature of shooting. Any player who misses their first shot must understand that they will have more opportunities to shoot, and one miss doesn’t mean they’ll have a bad game. They might miss their first shot and then make their next 10 in a row. They might miss their first 5 shots and then make the next 5. One instance of failure does not mean another one is inevitable.
Think to yourself: “I will have many more opportunities. This is not the end.”
2. Be Proud of Your Pre-success
Before success happens, there will be evidence of it.
Stephen Curry is professional basketball player and a great story. I actually played with him at his dad’s basketball camp in Fort Defiance, VA. And he went to college 5 minutes from where I lived in North Carolina. Now, I’m one of his biggest fans.
Before Curry reached success, his doubters were numerous. They said he wasn’t athletic or strong enough. He couldn’t finish inside well enough. But his incredible work ethic and frequent practicing were early indications that he would succeed. His success wasn’t immediate once he entered the NBA. He struggled with turnovers, injuries, and inconsistent play in his first few years. He was failing on some levels, but success was inevitable. He was putting in the work that would mould him into one of the most exciting players in the league. Curry is a two time NBA MVP and has a Finals trophy!
When you try and fail, you can still be proud and excited that you put in the effort to try. Success is the end result of a process, and while you didn’t succeed, you did enter the process. The more iterations you have, the better you’ll get at it. If you enter the process frequently, consider yourself a pre-success. A successful result might not happen when you expect it, but it will happen.
READ MORE ON THE NEXT PAGE BELOW!