Failure is a painful topic of conversation for many but those who have studied the psychology of failure and have overcome it understand it is all a matter of perception.
Failure has the ability to chip away at your self-esteem, to make you feel less capable, less intelligent and skilful. This distortion robs you of motivation and faith, the belief that if you try a little harder, things will eventually work out.
Many will hit an obstacle on the road in life that stalls them in their tracks and fail an attempt to navigate around that obstacle. Failure can cause a type of learned helplessness that tells us no matter what we do it won’t work so maybe there is no need trying. Our perception interferes with our belief that our goals are attainable. They are as attainable as they were before we failed, failure does not need to signify the point of no return.
“Success is not final; failure is not fatal. It is the courage to continue that counts.”– Winston Churchill
Failure causes a psychological wound that creates anxiety and feelings of hopelessness. Growing up with a highly critical or unsupportive parent or experienced embarrassment at school lays the foundation for perfectionism that may amplify any sense of failure. Self-compassion and re-parenting are the antidote to this problem. The self-talk needs to be encouraging “Don’t give up, you will get there.”
Those who have reached success understand failure is an opportunity for discovery and something to overcome rather than run away from. Failure teaches us resilience. It teaches us lessons and may push us to find a better route. The healthiest way to deal with failure is to focus on what you can control. It maybe that you discover a better way of doing things that was beyond your scope or consciousness. Failure needs to be re-evaluated as a stepping-stone to success.
“Most great people have achieved their greatest success just one step beyond their greatest failure.”- Napoleon Hill.
Warren Buffet was rejected into Harvard University, Richard Branson was a high school drop-out, Tony Robbins never went to university. J.K Rowling reports failing on an epic scale in all areas of her life before she become one of the wealthiest women in the world. What is the story you will tell about your failures?
To be successful it helps to have a mentor or a support network….for more info about how you can partner with an already successful company go to https://clarityfor.com/contact/
