Time and time again we’re told that failure isn’t an option. Whether it’s from a boss or a friend or ourselves, failing is something we’ve seen as worse than bad – something that needs to be avoided at all costs. But is this really the truth? When it comes to failing, you may find that it’s actually the best guidance you could ever receive when you are actively trying to make a dream come true. Here’s why failure is okay.
When you’re not afraid to fail, you are brave enough to try anything. So often, it’s this fear that we may not do something right that leads us to never doing anything we want to do. And that leaves us just out of reach of our dreams and our goals. Changing your mind about failure will help you change your mind about what you can achieve – even if it’s not as quickly as you’d hoped.
If you are afraid of failure, then your communicating with your brain, telling it you dont want success. Because failure is a part of the road to success!
Plan With Experience
Failure allows you to see where your plans and your ideas need work. If it weren’t for a phone call from a friend, you wouldn’t know that something was wrong with them. The same idea can be applied to your goals. When you fail at some part of your plan, you now know what you shouldn’t do. This allows you to make future plans that are based on experience rather than just a guess.
In fact, you should be failing from time to time as it will allow you to see that each move you make is making a difference – even if it’s not the one you want your moves to make. By realizing that you are still moving forward, even as you are failing, you will begin to see what any step is a step in the right direction. Failure isn’t an option – it’s a necessity.
Failure is one of the required stepping stones to success.
Have a most outstanding day
Sean Rasmussen
Success Communicator
SeanRasmussen.com © 2004 – 2008
{ 9 comments… read them below or add one }
I completely agree that fear of failure can rob us of success. The surest way to avoid failure is to not do anything, but then I will never achieve the goals I have set for myself.
Failure can be an incredibly good thing as it gives us feedback on how we are going towards what we are aiming to achieve. Take Thomas Edison for example. He failed many, many times in his numerous attempts to invent the light bulb and his various other inventions. But his perseverance paid off. His incredible mindset towards failure is demonstrated by the following two quotes of his:
“I have not failed. I’ve just found 10,000 ways that won’t work.” and
“Many of life’s failures are men who did not realize how close they were to success when they gave up.”
Tom McEwin´s last blog ..Getting Targeted Internet Traffic and a Hungry Crowd
Hi Sean,
I’m really glad to know that failure is okay because failure and I go way back. I’m not the least bit worried about failing because I’ve done it so many times before. I know I can get up and keep moving forward.
I think the most important thing is that I do learn from my mistakes and I don’t keep making the same ones over and over. Besides, there are so many new ones I have yet to make.
Seriously, I think we just need to accept that failure is par for the course because no-one is successful 100% of the time.
I’m so good at failing I reckon I should adopt it as my goal. Well no not really. Failing is something that used to scare that heck out of me. I had too high a standard that I set for myself and was worried what others would think of my failures. Sometimes I was so scared to fail that I didn’t even attempt things. And that made me a total failure.
A boss who says ‘Failure is not an option’ can do a pretty good job of making failure seem like a stepping stone to failure.
Wal Heinrich´s last blog ..Internet Marketing Why? How?
Bravo Wal, very clever!
Its funny, isn’t it? When we are learning to walk, no-one stands there with a big stick and says ‘fail’ when we fall. And there was no red pen, nor humiliation, we just kept on honing our balance, and getting our muscles stronger, and then we ‘did it’.
Jo Carey-Bradshaw´s last blog ..Empowering Mindset – Mindfulness
Wise words Sean. Sometimes the best way to learn to succeed is to fail.
I have hear so many stories of the billionaires and millionaires who fail not only when they start out but also throughout their lives – Donald Trump comes to mind. Its being able to learn and overcome from those failures that makes you are true success.
Cemil´s last blog ..Entrepreneur Characteristics
Hi Sean
I have to admit that I don’t particularly like failing. In fact I am not so good at that.
Someone once told me that there is no failure, there is only feedback. When I am learning a new job and I don’t get it right, my boss doesn’t want to hear that. He would probably think I was being a smart alec if I said that to him.
Nowadays if I don’t get something right, I will apologise if I upset someone because of it, then I will forgive myself and I no longer beat myself up. I just learn how to get it right.
Hi Sean,
Like many others I have fallen victim to the fear of failure which has had massive implications through out my life. Only in the last few years have I been privileged enough to learn things like what you have posted here about changing your mindset & accepting failure have I been able to make positive change within my life.
I have witnessed many people that are conditioned to fear failure as a means of control which I have always disagreed with & through learning about mindset mastery now realize that there are more people around that share this view.
I look forward to learning & meeting like minded people with hopes to create a better world for myself, my children & anyone else that shares a lust for real happiness & truth.
jeremy´s last blog ..jlagatule- RT @tonyrobbins For you night owls still upCome be the first to have a sneak peak of R Breakthrough insiders site http-bitly-caSRxw