“I didn’t fail the test, I just found 100 ways to do it wrong”
- Benjamin Franklin
Fear of failures is one of the biggest drivers behind most people’s actions. It makes them to always look for situations where they know the possibility of failure is minimal. In other words, they miss most opportunities of their lives.
What if I told you that there is no such thing as a failure?
That is how I genuinely see the world nowadays.
Everyone in this world has their own experiences and a unique perception of everything around them. The concept of failure is a man-made thing and every person sees the idea of failure differently.
People who choose to see even the smallest setbacks in life as big failures often end up being afraid of doing anything that forces them to step just a little bit out of their comfort zone, whereas people who see failures as great learning opportunities and as a possibility to develop more confidence and strength, are ready to take whatever life gives to them and always willing to challenge themselves.
While some people only see a failure, others will find the lesson in it, and while some people just focus on the pain, others will focus on the strength that just increased when something unexpected occurred.
The first way of looking at things is negative, self-destructive and limiting, while the latter one is positive, builds self-confidence and opens up new opportunities in life. It is up to you to make the decision how you want to see the little things we all have in our lives.
Do you want to have failures or great lessons in your life?
Who invented failure?
Failure is like the Loch Ness Monster.
It only exists as long as you believe in it. Just like any myth, it is a self-created phenomenon and does not exist until we create it with our thoughts, beliefs and behavior. When you decide to put the label “failure” on some event in your life, you decide to put yourself into a destructive state at the same moment, and you then let your body and emotions react accordingly.
When you choose to see the same experience as a growth opportunity and a good lesson, you put yourself into much more powerful state, and keep your mind and heart in a positive and solution-focused place.
I don’t know about you, but at least I want to live in a reality that is not filled with negative things and failures.
The time is always right for making the change
Like everyone else, I have had my share of problems in my life – I have tried some new things and failed miserably (that’s how I used to see things back then), and I have trusted people that were only there as long as they could benefit from my company.
No matter how good a person you are, life will not always be easy, but it is definitely worth it to start taking the steps to the right direction.
It doesn’t matter where you are at the moment. What matters is where you are going and that you have the will to grow mentally, evolve, and adapt to whatever life brings on your way. Your life is going to be full of positivity and great things if you choose so. The same applies to negative things.
The decision is yours, and it’s never too late to change.
Start today.
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One of my favorite quotes about failure is by Thomas J. Watson, founder of IBM. He said, “You want to succeed? Just double your rate of failure.”
Every little failure brings you closer to a big success.
I like that quote, too. Most people want to believe that it’s possible to succeed without taking risks and that people who have succeeded did it instantly, without any failures.
Yes!! at first thought…but when you think about it, if you couldn’t fail…how easy would it be to improve the situation you had. What would you know was good or bad, productive or not productve, cost effective or not. where would you get your life experience in situations to teach your children. In some aspects,being able to fail is a gift.
Hi Petteri
You are spot on. I have spent too long kicking myself in the butt for imagined failures. They are all part of a learning process.
Whenever I do that from now on I will think of this post and your reference to it as the Loch Ness Monster, that really is a great way of looking at it.
When things are looked at from a positive standpoint positive things happen. Reading this post for example has come at a time when I was re-listening to the cash flow quandrant… I missed the first time that Kiyosaki had 4 failed business before he found the success he knew he would have.
Vince
Thanks for stopping by and commenting, Vince.
It really is often too easy to see only the successes in successful people’s lives and failures in our own lives. Usually all of the most successful people have had lots of learning opportunities (they don’t see them as failures), and that’s why they have finally succeeded. If you believe in something, it eventually becomes your reality.
Yes, I agree with you in that worse experiences in life are sometimes really good as well because they make us appreciate the good times more.
Petteri,
Just coming over to continue the conversation and WOW this post really smacked me in the face. I really needed that too so thanks man.
Loved this bit:
“When you choose to see the same experience as a growth opportunity and a good lesson, you put yourself into much more powerful state, and keep your mind and heart in a positive and solution-focused place.” as it really summed up and put in words how to action what this post is about.
Awesome Petteri!
Alex´s last [type] ..How not to write an ebook – Are you asking the right questions
Hi Alex,
Great to see you here as well and I’m glad that you liked the post!
Fail yourself forward. In everything you do in life, good or bad, as you illustrated, there is a lesson to be learned. The real secret of failing is being able to recognize the lesson, learn from it, and getting back to work!
Rocky says, “It isn’t how hard you hit that matters, it is how hard you can get hit and keep getting up!”
Blessings,
Ron
teamcurtisfamily´s last [type] ..Lifehouse – Everything Skit!
Hey Ron,
thanks for the comment. I like the Rocky quote a lot – pure gold.