5 Ways To Profit From Failure
Is it possible to take advantage of failure? Most of you already know the answer. If you did know, you’ll also know that it depends on how you see failure and how you choose to treat it. Most people see failure as a dead end and choose to live with it; defining themselves by a situation they could have taken advantage of.
Our lives are always full of happenings, circumstances, and situations. Some we control, while some are out of our control, both bad and good. Nevertheless, we could still take advantage of an uncontrolled negative situation. As the saying goes “When life gives you a lemon, made a lemonade.” After all, there is nothing you can’t do if you put your mind to it. All you need to turn failure into success is an idea; that you have the power to win if you don’t give up. Then you’ll need some methods on how to go about it. Here I share 5 of such methods I use to profit out of failure. Okay, put your seat belts on and enjoy the ride. Trust me, you may find one or two of these points helpful.
1. Create A Challenge For Yourself
It totally depends on how you define failure, whether as a “dead end” or as “another route revealed.” If you ever fail at anything, instead of being sorry for yourself, use it to motivate yourself to try again. I use it to create a challenge for myself that’ll make me put in more work than ever. According to attitude coach Keith Harrell,
“Most times people always wait for a challenge before putting in their best.” Keith Harrell, Attitude Is Everything
Humans work better with a challenge, it tends to boast us to operate at our best. When faced with a challenge you always want to put in your best.
I allow the fact of failing to create a sort of hunger in me for success. I’m guessing you know the feeling of eating while you’re hungry, it just makes you want it more. That is what you should do if you ever fail, because when you want it more you work harder for it. So use failure to fan your desire for success and go for it.
2. Do More Research And Ask Questions
“A man who asks is a fool for five minutes. A man who never asks is a fool for life.” Chinese Proverb
Just as I’ve previously said, it depends on your definition of failure, while some see it as final successful people see it as another or a better route revealed. Obviously, you’ll have an opportunity to do more research and you might even find out ways to not just do it better but probably to do it cost-efficiently, and I’m not talking about money. I meant cost efficiently both physically and mentally.
Instead of sobbing in self-pity because of failure, use that time productively by researching and consulting reliable sources. The way I see it, you could either choose to see failure as misfortune or an opportunity to learn and be better. Now, we know that if you really desire not to fail again, or not to remain in that failure you’ll work to know what to do. But if you just sit there blaming yourself then your desire isn’t strong enough. It’s your mind, and it’s your life, so it’s your choice.
3. Use Failure As Rehearsal For Success
"You may have to fight a battle more than once to win it." --Margaret Thatcher
To be honest I got this one from Tom Cruise when he said in Mission Impossible: Ghost Protocol, “To a terrorist failure is a rehearsal for success.” Skip the terrorist part and try it out yourself, you’ll be surprised how profitable it’ll be. In the words of the famous Thomas Edison “I have not failed, I have just found 100 ways not to do it.”
"Success does not consist in never making mistakes but in never making the same one a second time." George Bernard Shaw
There is no way you could fail forever. You are bound to win if you try it again and again with new insight. That way you’ll eventually find out how to do it rightly. Let’s look at this part, the reason you failed is probably that you did some parts of it incorrectly, so learning and trying again might help you do it correctly. My personal quote is; “ See failure as Rehearsal for your success, and rehearse until you succeed.”
4. Get Toughness From Your Failure
“In fact, hope is best gained after defeat and failure, because then inner strength and toughness is produced.” Fritz Knapp
While some get weakened by their failures others use them to get tough. That’s how successful people roll. Whenever I fail at a thing, I see it as a means to enhance my toughness, my attitude, and my strength. For example, let’s say it’s your first day at the gym, and your coach tells you that it’s your assignment to lift a weight you were given, but you couldn’t do it. Some people will use this to tell themselves that they are weak, while intelligent people will train with smaller weights and increase to the bigger ones. By so doing they acquire toughness from their failures. In the words of Helen Keller,
“Character cannot be developed in ease and quiet. Only through experience of trial and suffering can the soul be strengthened.” Helen Keller
The fact of never giving up makes us tough. Grow a strong mind that is able to deal with life’s challenges through the strength gained from never giving in to failure.
5. Use Failure To Learn Something New About Your Project
To make no mistakes is not in the power of man, but from their errors and mistakes, the wise and good learn wisdom for the future. Plutarch
Probably the reason you failed is that there is something you don’t know about your project. Instead of blowing or being sad, calm down and try to figure out the reason you failed. That could go a long way to helping you succeed the next time. Finding out the reason you failed is like discovering something new about your project.
So all these are what I do to profit from my failure, enjoy. Thanks for reading.
