Changes & Challenges
If U are to truly experience life, U must be able to give yourself permission to fail.
Through failure U will learn, grow and become successful.
Life is akin to learning to ride a bike – U will fall. U will stumble. U will crash. U may even get hurt. U may even find yourself too afraid to get back on the bike. However, it is important to remember, whenever U put yourself ‘out there’ and attempt to tackle difficult situations, handle problems, or begin something new, U may not always be successful. In fact, it may take you a significant amount of time to master whatever U are attempting to achieve. There will also be times when no matter what U do, success simply will not occur.
That’s OK! Failure is a part of a life well lived! How you view and deal with problems, difficulties and new experiences can have a huge impact on your life, your success, and your happiness.
U may choose to give up or blame someone else or beat yourself when U fail. However, U might be surprised to hear that many successful people are not only grateful for their past failures, but they ascribe their present success to having tried and failed in the past.
Six Reasons to Embrace your Failures
- Failure is opportunity in disguise – To acknowledge failure as an opportunity is not putting a Pollyanna spin on reality. It’s accepting that everyone fails, and U can choose to try and learn from your mistakes, or you can do nothing. Successful people see mistakes as an opportunity to learn and change course when things aren’t working out as planned.
- Failure highlights your weaknesses – If U can detach from the emotions of failure, U can soon see where the leaks are in your boat are and take steps to mend them.
- Failure increases your resiliency – One big lesson learned from trying and failing is finding out U can get back up again and keep going. U can admit that U tried and failed and use what U learned to build a better strategy to reach your goals. That’s a huge life lesson!
- Failure will encourage U to innovate – When faced with failure, U will begin to learn to attempt new and different strategies. Failure encourages U to view risk in a different light. If you’re not afraid to fail, you’re more likely to try new things and experience life in a whole new way!
- Failure reminds U that you’re not alone – Accepting failure as part of life will make U more empathic and less judgmental of others. You’ll be more likely to help other people who are embracing life and attempting to move forward despite their obstacles. In return, U will be more open to ask for and receive help when U are in need.
- Failure will suggest U be kinder to yourself – Seeing failure for what it is (a temporary setback) will make U more forgiving of your flaws. You’ll be less of a perfectionist and be less prone to self-doubt. Forgiving yourself, in turn, will build your self-confidence and make U more likely to succeed the next time around.
Embrace failure, learn from it and use it as a stepping stone to success. – Recreate-U.com
I can accept failure, everyone fails at something. But I can’t accept not trying. – Michael Jordan
No man ever achieved worthwhile success who did not, at one time or other, find himself with at least one foot hanging well over the brink of failure. – Napoleon Hill
The only real failure in life is not to be true to the best one knows. – Buddha
Our greatest glory is not in never failing, but in rising every time we fail. – Confucius
It is impossible to live without failing at something, unless you live so cautiously that you might as well not have lived at all, in which case you have failed by default. – J.K. Rowling
Reach Your Potential
At the precipice of success is failure…your choices keep U from slipping off the edge.
Everything that happens to U happens for a purpose. Sometimes it is difficult to see the positives when, seemingly, one negative thing after another occurs and soon the molehill becomes a mountain. Often, this leads to inaction and focus on the negative. Instead of locking yourself up in your cage of fears and focusing on past heartaches, embarrassment and failures, treat them as your teachers and they will become your tools in both self improvement and success.
I remember watching the movie, Patch Adams. Hunter “Patch” Adams is a medical student who failed to make it through his board exams. After months of suffering in melancholy, depression and suicidal attempts – he decides to seek medical attention and voluntarily admits himself in a psychiatric ward. His months of stay in the hospital leads him to finding ways of treating his own ailments. Eventually, he realizes he has to get back on track. One morning he decides, even after all the failure and pains he has gone through, he still wants to become a doctor. He follows through with his dream and brings with him his positive attitude which leads him to self improvement and success. The best part about his journey is he not only improves himself, but he also improves the quality of life of his patients and others.
So, when does self improvement become synonymous with success? Where do U start? Try these tips…
- Stop thinking and feeling as if you’re a failure, because you’re not. How can others accept U if U can’t accept U?
- Stop focusing on your outward appearance as an indicator of self-acceptance. Self acceptance is not just about having nice slender legs, or great abs. Concentrate on your inner beauty and what you are able to offer the world.
- When others are feeling down and in despair, help them elevate themselves. Don’t go down with them. They’ll pull U down further and both of U will end up feeling inferior.
- Understand, your time on earth is simply a series of lessons. U have a choice, U can focus on your failures or your successes. However, there is no need to wallow in your failures and focus on the negative. There’s always a next time. Make room in your life for success and continually strive towards self improvement. Always continue to move forward whatever your circumstances.
- Take one thing at a time. Change doesn’t happen in a single moment, it is a progression; a series of events and happenings. Self improvement is a “one day at a time” process. Always remember that there’s no such thing as ‘overnight success’. Practice, practice, practice!
- Celebrate and appreciate your daily successes and victories. It is all too easy to believe U haven’t made any progress when, in fact, U have had many successes along your self-improvement journey.
- Self improvement results in inner stability, personality development and dig this …. SUCCESS. U will improve yourself when U become more self confident, appreciate yourself and others. Your self esteem will flourish when U believe in you and your abilities and actions.
- Set meaningful and achievable goals. Your hopes and aims and consistent action to make your dreams a reality will result in an improved and better U.
- Doing little things for others can mean so much to them. Sometimes, we don’t realize that the little things such as smiling and saying “hello”, greeting someone “good day” or giving someone else a compliment, are simple things that mean so much to others. When U are being appreciative of your environment and other people, U also improve your own sense of self worth and your outlook on life which positively influences how successful we feel in life.
- When you’re willing to accept change and go through the process of self improvement, it doesn’t mean that everyone else is on board. Accept and be aware that others may wish to impose their own sense of what they want for U. Ultimately, recognize that U need to choose what U want for your life.
- Remind yourself about your specific goals on a daily basis.
Keep this quote in mind: “When the student is ready, the teacher will appear.”
Be willing to open yourself up to improving yourself and your responses to life circumstances. Introspection, self-reflection and being honest with yourself are necessary for self-improvement and will help U move towards your definition of success. If U are willing to be honest with yourself and make the necessary changes, U will increase your chances of reaching your full potential. Keep going until your goals are your new reality (the changed you).
“We do not get to choose how we start out in life. We do not get to choose the day we are born or the family we are born into, what we are named at birth, what country we are born in, and we do not get to choose our ancestry. All these things are predetermined by a higher power. By the time you are old enough to start making decisions for yourself, a lot of things in your life are already in place. It’s important, therefore, that you focus on the future, the only thing that you can change.” ― Idowu Koyenikan, Wealth for All: Living a Life of Success at the Edge of Your Ability
