Mistakes and failures are a normal and natural part of life.
Every human being – no matter how perfect and poised they may seem –
will make a mistake or fail at something in their lives…
most likely more than once!
This includes you.
Making mistakes and failing isn’t fun,
but learning how to do it in a graceful manner makes the business of living life much easier.
One of the best things you can do for yourself after failing at something is learning about what went wrong so you can move forward.
How is learning and moving forward a smart choice action to make in times of failure?
If you make a mistake or fail at something, you have two options from which you can choose:
You can wallow and obsess over what went wrong,
Blaming yourself for failure and generally making yourself feel terrible, or
You can pull away the gem of wisdom you learned from the experience and keep moving forward in life,
Keeping that valuable information on hand so you can avoid making a similar mistake in the future.
Between these two choices,
#1 isn’t actionable.
When you choose to ruminate over a mistake or failure,
you are holding all the information inside your head without making an effort to move past it.
#2, however, is an actionable choice.
When you choose to extract the “lesson learned” from the ordeal and then continue living life.
You are taking action to keep going.
Rather than allowing misfortune to stop you in your tracks, you are taking action by learning, growing, and living.
What can you do to make learning from failures and moving forward easier?
Sometimes learning from a failure and then moving forward is a lot easier said than done.
If you struggle to let go of mistakes and failures so you can keep moving forward in life, consider these simple strategies to get started:
Spend time showing yourself some self-compassion.
Everyone makes mistakes and fails – yourself included.
Give yourself a little self-compassion, kindness, and patience.
If it helps, think of this as giving yourself the “best friend” treatment:
If your best friend made a similar mistake,
would you berate them the same way you berate yourself?
Of course not!
You deserve the same kindness and understanding, so give some to yourself.
Seek actionable feedback from what went wrong.
Speak to a trusted friend or loved one about the mistake or failure.
Ask them for their honest assessment of what happened.
Getting this kind of valuable feedback from someone you know and trust can help you make smarter choices about moving forward rather than continually ruminating on what went wrong.
Remind yourself that success isn’t a linear journey.
Many people live under the false impression that meeting goals and finding success is often a “straight shot” from point A to point B….
and this is rarely ever the case!
A mistake or failing doesn’t mean your efforts are immediately doomed.
It is merely a stepping stone on your pathway to success.
Change your attitude and perspective about mistakes and failures.
This can make it easier to keep moving forward.
Practice resilience and flexibility.
Once you accept that mistakes and failures are a part of life’s journey,
you can practice being resilient and flexible.
In the face of a setback,
You can choose to adapt by being resilient and flexible in the face of an unexpected obstacle,
such as a mistake or failure.
By learning how to adjust your course of action, you can keep moving rather than feeling “stuck.”
