It has been said that failure is not the opposite of success, but a part of it. This is because no great success story is ever complete without a few chapters that involve failure. In fact, a lot of the epic successes that people celebrate today came after failure. For example, Rovio’s Success with Angry Birds Came After 51 Failed Attempts. What this shows is that failure is simply a delay; a detour on the road to success. The only way to avoid failure is to be nothing, do nothing and say nothing. By avoiding failure, a person may also be avoiding success.
Here Are 4 Reasons Why Success Always Starts With Failure
Failure Is a Catalyst
Failure has one major advantage: It helps humans get over their ego and realize the mistakes in their approach. It helps them take a step back and re-strategize so that they come back stronger and smarter. Furthermore, failure gives people the right perspective of success.
However, for failure to act as a catalyst of success, it is important for people to change how they perceive and react to it. You should never think of failure as a definition of your abilities. Instead of dwelling on your mistakes, you should learn from them and fix them to become better. It is important to recognize failure and gather feedback before proceeding.
Failure Teaches Perseverance
It is very easy to wallow in defeat and throw in the towel after failing. However, a person who wants to succeed has to realize that failure is not fatal. People should treat failure as a teacher and not an undertaker. Anyone who realizes this will not give up easily and kill their dreams simply because things did not work out the first time.
A person who is determined will realize that no experience is wasted. When he fails, he should simply go back to the drawing board and look for a different approach. He can then start again with a renewed spirit. This teaches perseverance and discipline, as it helps you to remember how big and important your goal is, and why you should stick to it. Successful people do not quit when things get tough, but they go on to become great success stories.
Successful People Fail Forward Fast
Successful people take action as soon as they can, even if it may lead to failure. They are not afraid of practicing or experimenting until they get the right work product.
A story is told of a pottery class that was divided into two groups. The first group was told that they would be judged on the quantity of their work, while the second group would be judged on the quality of their work. Therefore, students in the first group would get a higher grade if they made more pots. Those in the second group would be judged on their best pot, even if it was their first.
At the end of the experiment, the researchers discovered that those who produced a higher quantity also produced higher quality pots. Because they were not focused on perfection, they experimented and they practiced more. Therefore, there was notable improvement between their first pot and their last pot.
However, those who focused on quality and on producing the perfect pot did not do so well. They spent a lot of time strategizing, and they did not practice a lot. They were so keen on producing the perfect piece that they did not give room for failure. In the end, they produced very few pots, and there was very little improvement in their work.
This is the secret that successful people apply in their lives everyday. They take action, even when there is the possibility that their product will not be perfect. They fail forward by learning from their mistakes, experimenting and looking for new approaches. Because of their attitude towards failure, they become even greater successes.
Use Mistakes To Help You Succeed
Successful people know that failure is a stepping stone on their way to success. They analyze their mistakes and learn from them in order to succeed.
To do this, it may be important to remove emotions from the equation. One of the reasons why failure can be so debilitating is the pain that comes with it. However, successful people forget whether they are ahead or behind, and simply learn from what they are doing and how to proceed from where they are. They use mistakes as lessons that point them towards the right path.
To succeed, it is important to adapt a different attitude towards failure. You need to master your failure, instead of being mastered by it. This is the only way to move beyond your failure to achieve great things in life. Always remember, never give up and always keep on, pushing on.
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