How To Embrace Failure & Make Your Dreams Come True
You grow through what you go through: embracing failure
There is the famous quote, “What would you do if you could not fail?” We’ve heard the question so often that we never answer it. So, how would you answer it?
According to the dictionary, failure means “not achieving the desired end”.
Embracing Failure: The Journey to Success
Bucket lists are popular these days. It’s the list of things people want to do before they die. The most popular items are to travel and learn a new hobby, followed by learn a new language, write a book, start a business, become a parent, live to work, and go back to school. Interesting enough, not many of the things on people’s bucket lists have much to do with failure.
Develop A New View Of Failure
So why are we so afraid of failing? Our dreams don’t seem to involve failure at all. Are we afraid of disappointing people? Are we afraid of embarrassing ourselves? Are we afraid of change? Are we afraid of never succeeding at all? Is failure the worst of it? Isn’t living with regret for never trying worse than failing?
We just need to view failure differently. The truth is every successful person fails their way to success, achieving anything is the result of a string of failures. Once you succeed, no one remembers the failures.
The consequences of failure are mostly in our minds. For the most part, the repercussions of failure are trivial. If you reduce the risk of failure, you also reduce the reward at the same time. If you decrease the risk of failing too much, then the rewards of success become inconsequential as well. The surest path to failure is to do nothing. There is no risk and therefore, there is no reward.
Embrace Failure & Add Spice To Your Life
We need to embrace failure instead of being afraid of it. Losing your fear of failure can be quite liberating.
Fear is a mind game and in any game, the tables can be turned. Everyone has been told by someone that a can-do attitude is desirable. A far stronger wording is the will-do attitude. Just because you ‘can do’ something, doesn’t mean you ‘will do’ something. Instead of thinking of your goals in terms of “I want to do” or “I can do”, really cement the thought in your mind with “I will do”. Wake up every morning and ask yourself, “What am I going to do today that will bring me closer to reaching my goals?”
Another mind game trick is to act as if you have already succeeded. Walk into a room, free of fear, and with confidence as if you already are the person you dream of becoming. It breaks down your mind’s resistance to failure.
Everyone loves a good story and our lives are our stories. Failure, struggle, and eventual triumph make a great story. We wouldn’t be cheering for the hero if the hero couldn’t fail. Without the possibility of failure, there would be no suspense in a thriller. If the football teams on the field didn’t try and fail to make the goals, but always scored on a drive, the game wouldn’t be exciting to watch. Imagine watching a movie about someone who always succeeded effortlessly. Now that would be a box office flop! It would be boring.
Like it or not, failure is the spice of life, so embrace it.
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