Failure is slowly becoming a notion that people are welcoming into their lives rather than avoiding. Years gone by, failing in anything we did was met with ridicule and self loathing. There was a more far more conservative and risk adverse way that we worked which limited opportunities and growth. When a failure did occur, it was almost seen as a white flag to surrender and give up entirely, vanishing out of sight.
With the exponential progress of technology and connectivity globally, there is a new perspective on the concept of failure where an increased number of people are understanding the benefits of failing. In fact, we are doing all we can to to seek it out and fail as quickly as possible .
Why should we fail?
Failure is the quickest way to learn and grow. Not only in business but in all aspects of life, the quicker we make mistakes the quicker we are able to move forward. Failure is an absolutely crucial part of personal and professional progress.
What does failure teach us?
Failure is that wake-up-to-reality moment. The harsh spotlight pointed directly on a weakness or area that we may have been in denial of. Failure can provide clarity on a situation where previously we may have not acted on a situation because we were simply not sure.
When we make mistakes we can ask ourselves better questions such as (but not limited to);
“Should I be doing this?”
“Why did this go wrong?”
“How can I prevent this from happening again?”
“Should I bring in others to help or improve the situation”
Failures can teach us what we are not doing well and force us to finally make better decisions. Through this clarity we can set new priorities, establish whether a pivot is necessary and further refine our mission.
Case Study – Episode 11 – Phyco Health
Embracing Failures and Learning to Pivot – Pia from Phyco Health has certainly needed to embrace failure as she has needed to sought support from investors to help build/grow her business. Rejection is common place when you are pitching to those who are considering a financial investment in what you do. Questions are asked, weak points are identified and the entire business model (which could be your ‘dream’) can be challenged. It can be rough, but it’s valuable and makes you stronger.
No need to be reckless
Embracing failure is not about being reckless. When you learn to appreciate the lessons and insights gained from the mistakes along the way, you’ll find that you are less hesitant in giving new ideas a go. There’s no need to put everything on the line however many of the risks that we avoid are usually linked to the way we feel, rather than a damaging business/personal risk. If you are prepared for failure and you have a game plan in the event it doesn’t work out, then you should be looking to roll the dice a little more.
It’s how you react that counts
There is nothing wrong with feeling the pain of a mistake or failure, however we can’t afford to dwell too long in it. We are our own worst enemy and the way we treat ourselves can be far worse than the way anyone else does. We need to be taking time during these moments to breathe, assess, walk away momentarily, look for the lessons by asking questions and ultimately be compassionate with ourselves.
When we can do this we can then turn these experiences into life defining moments for the better. We are also able to show more compassion to others when they have their own moments of failure. It’s time to embrace rather than reject failure.
Photo by Edu Lauton on Unsplash