Failure is scary for many people. When we fail at something, we feel like our world is falling apart, and there is nothing good going on in our lives anymore. We focus on the negatives, and start questioning ourselves, “Am I not good enough?” “What did I do wrong?”
While this type of thinking is common, there are also many positive aspects to failing. When we fail, we see where we stand, understand our mistakes, and learn from the errors that we’ve made. We advance quicker and enlarge our perspectives. Our determination increases and our willpower strengthens.
Even if failing seems scary at first, we must learn to accept it and embrace it. We must realize that giving up is inefficacious. We must move forward if we truly want to succeed in life. Here are seven tips on how to handle failure and realize that moving on is crucial:
Accept It
The first step to overcoming negative feelings is to accept them. If you are unable to take responsibility for your actions, you are never going to move on and start a better life. Accepting things as they are is therefore crucial. Embrace the mistakes you’ve made, and congratulate yourself for being so strong. Keep in mind:
You do not control everything in your life, and that is fine. There is no need to. Life is beautiful as it is, and you should live every single moment like it’s your last one. Criticizing every wrong decision that you make will only demoralize you. You can’t change the past, and you shouldn’t. Learn from it, and don’t repeat your mistakes. This is how you evolve.
Be realistic. You made mistakes. OK, can’t change that, but what can you change? Are there any life lessons you took out of the situation?
Realize that it takes time and effort to become strong, and you are exactly where you need to be. A wise friend once told me, “We need to die first to live.” Don’t take that literally, but understand the message. Becoming better takes strength and patience.
Accepting things as they are will change your life. Before starting to work on anything else, work on acceptance. It’s the most important step of the process.
Be Honest with Yourself
You can lie to others, but you should never lie to yourself. Being honest sets you free! You failed – why? Can you think of at least three causes? Where did you get stuck? Here are some quick tips on how to become honest with you.
Write down your thoughts. Keep a journal. You don’t have to note down the whole thing, only the highlights of your day. What are your goals for today? How are you going to perform them?
Ask for help while necessary. We are probably too proud to do that sometimes, but that’s never smart. Asking for comments or help from the right people is a great thing. It means we receive that we are stuck, and we need to evolve.
Remind yourself to be sincere. Staying true to yourself is a non-stop process. If you are not used to telling the truth, remind yourself every day that you should.
Imagine the future. What does your destiny look like at this moment? Do you think you can be successful with your mentality, or are there things that you must change? If the answer to the latter questions is “there are,” write them down, and begin evolving.
Make “I am honest with myself” your life motto! It will help, I promise.
Think Positively
Focusing on the negative will drain your energy, and make you feel sorry for yourself; therefore, it will not assist at all. Here are a few things you should focus on:
Be kind to yourself, don’t use negative self-talk. You now accepted your mistakes and embraced them. You have been sincere when realizing what actions you could’ve improved. That’s enough. No one wants to make yourself bad in your failure.
Watch a good comedy, or talk with a funny friend. Taking life critically is not worth it sometimes – nobody gets out alive anyway.
Meditate, or exercise some yoga. Live the present instead of focusing on the past. Work with your mind, and slowly transition to a positive mindset.
Thinking positively does not mean ignoring facts. Be realistic when comparing yourself, but don’t put such a big emphasis on the negatives.
4. Stick Around the Right People
One of my favorite Jim Rohn quotes is, “You are the average of the 5 people you spend the maximum time with.” Think about it: in case you surround yourself with pessimistic people, you’ll become one.
If you haven’t yet, evaluate your friend circle and see who deserves to remain in your life. If there’s best one friend left after the “general cleaning,” that’s perfectly OK too – at least you know you could always depend on them, no matter what, and that’s the whole thing that counts at the end of the day.
5. Keep Yourself Motivated
Now that you’ve accepted your errors, it’s time to move ahead. You are ultimately here – the greatest moment of your life. It’s time to try again. “But how?” one would possibly ask. This is where motivation comes into place.
Leave expectations aside, and focus completely on the present. Don’t think about “what could happen if I do this or that.” If you sense that it’s the proper decision, go together with your intuition.
Read and watch motivational books/movies. It’s always awesome to have someone tell you that you can make it. Even if you already found out that for yourself, there are instances when hearing it from someone else makes the message more powerful.
Else makes the message more powerful. Map out a plan of your dreams and think about what you want to achieve withinside the long run. What’s the answer to your why question?
When you feel like giving up, think about your why, and keep working hard towards your goal.
Keeping yourself inspired is important to moving ahead with your life. Be strong, and don’t allow negative thoughts to affect you.
6. Keep Improving
As I previously mentioned, enhancing constantly is the only way to climb the success ladder. You are working for your inspiration, and that is already amazing. But who’s ever succeeded in existence without perseverance?
Do you know how often Thomas Edison has failed before innovating the light bulb? But do you know what his perception of that was? “I haven’t failed. I’ve just discovered 10,000 ways that won’t work.”
7. Take Time for Yourself
Last but not least, ensure you care about yourself. Concentrating solely on success and forgetting about yourself might slowly drive you insane. Take time to read what you like, enjoy the right times with your friends, and have the right laughs with your family. Loving yourself is where life starts.