As a famous author once said, “We may encounter many defeats but we must not be defeated.”
Defeats and failures happen often in life. Whether in your business career or your personal relationships. But you should regard them as inevitable milestones that you hit on the path to accomplishment.
You can choose to wallow in failure, and have that moment define you forever. Or you can choose to look at a “failure” as a temporary—and often necessary—setback as you continue your great journey. It’s up to you. It’s in your hands. No-one else has the responsibility. Only you.
There can be many reasons for failure. Sometimes they’re of your own making; sometimes unforeseen circumstances conspire to create chaos and confusion. It’s just the universe at work and a challenge for you to show courage and overcome it.
One thing you must never do is make excuses for the failures. Failure is inevitable. Success is often born out of failure, even extreme potentially soul-destroying crashes. You just need to be resilient and build on that experience no matter how painful and devastating it might seem at the time. It should spur you on to greatness.
There’s a reason for failure. It’s often not apparent until years later. It can strike at any time. The fact that it happens may not be an option, but how you regard it and handle it is entirely up to you. You should dismiss it as a “failure.” Regard it, instead, as a lesson, a learning experience. That’s the choice.
Too many people fail to attain their dreams because the experience of failure makes them scared to take chances; to explore new territory. Don’t let this happen to you. Consciously give yourself a mantra like, “I have not failed. I have not failed. I have learned. I am, therefore, a success.”
Failure is a diversion that takes you off the freeway and swerving along a few side roads until you see the freeway ramp that’s right for you. Then, you charge back on the freeway, put your foot on the accelerator and drive in the direction marked success. You can choose to fail (and stay on the back roads) or you can choose not to accept failure and accelerate towards your destination; towards your true purpose in life.
And, finally, as a wise man said, “The season of failure is the best time for sowing the seeds of success.”