The concept of failure has turned out to be one of the biggest gimmicks ever encountered in life. Not only is failure primarily a mental thing, it rarely has the same face to everyone 🤢.
Consider given definitions 📚 of failure: "non-performance of something due, required, or expected" via Dictionary.com; "a fracturing or giving way under stress" (Merriam-Webster); "a lack of success at doing something" (Oxford)
Bad news everybody... we will fail every single day 😱. Whether that failure be leaving the house on time for work, remembering something we were supposed to do, or not being able to keep our intent toward someone.
It is inevitable that we will fail and disappoint ourselves or someone else, but let me explain why we need to get on with it as well as why it's better to get over the shame or dread of it happening.
FAILURE IS A PRESSURE GAUGE 💣
Many things around us in life work by having significant pressure available. Espresso machines, tires on our cars, canning foods, developing diamonds, and other things we have become accustomed to appreciating involves levels of pressure.
Add greatness to the list 📝. Even if we aren't going for greatness, at least shoot for significance. When we figure out that we need more power, more time, or more knowledge to achieve something, we will gain an accurate picture of where we are.
If we are constantly low on funds , we'll figure out that either we need to make more income or manage the income we already have differently. If we can never hold a relationship 💔, we'll reevaluate what we are going for or adjust our behaviors to test what works. If parenting or our job is knocking us out, we'll consider what factors are working and which ones aren't and then hopefully seek help to improve what we can.
Pressure is not a bad thing once we think about how it can be outsmarted or useful. Pressure helps us identify problems that set us back. If we are the type that runs from challenges instead of facing them, pressure will find its way to us more and more. Instead of our harnessing it into a desired result, it will crush us.
When parts of our lives start falling apart take our time to vent about it, but then start considering what we can make of it. Which is why...
FAILURE SHOWCASES MULTIPLE OPPORTUNITIES
Don't listen to people who tell us that something is a "once in a lifetime opportunity." If they are telling us that, they are often trying to push us in the direction that's best for them, not us.
Truth is maybe that ONE opportunity is once in a lifetime but there are usually others just like it. If we are good enough now, we should still be good enough later ⏳ (particularly after having more time to develop ourselves).
This is not to say not to do something we really want to do if we can, but if the resources aren't readily available, it's okay to catch the next train, so to speak.
Some things may depend on age or physical stamina, but if we "still got it", don't push ourselves into things we aren't sure will benefit us.
If we dont win the championship🏆this year, we can probably still go for it next year. Did Tom Brady or LeBron James just sit out and retire after not achieving what they wanted with the teams they had? Nope. They regrouped and looked for new opportunities, even if it pissed some people off.
If our job constantly overlooks our top-notch performance and isn't interested in our professional growth, no matter how long we've worked there, it's time to go! Stop believing that only that company is capable of meeting our salary or our benefits. To do so is only to deprive ourselves of soaring higher in our true purpose or calling. Start planning an exit.
If we didn't pass a class with the grade you were hoping for, create the opportunity to learn more by reading more books, finding videos, or practicing with someone who has a thorough grasp.
Failure is about acknowledging that this time it did not go as we hoped. If we wake up the next day, there's a possibility of a next time. We cannot take something not happening a few times as not meant to be simply because there needs to be some tweaking involved.
FAILURE TEACHES HOW TO SAVE TIME OR MONEY
If we want to make a difference in any area of life, we have to be willing to change our minds and know when to do it. Stubbornness can be a wonderful thing when it is properly applied, but in order for failure to help us, we need to be able to pivot direction from time to time.
If we are working on a project that keeps falling apart, there is something in the process that needs to be changed. We either need different material, a different method, or a different vision 👓 of what is to be.
For-profit businesses constantly change areas outside of their core service or product to better meet needs of their customers or take additional steps in order to increase their margins or reinvest into their business. Sometimes they accept that certain people no longer support the vision or that certain networks no longer can adapt to growth.