Why You Should Celebrate Your Failures
Trying and
failing at something is no fun. We feel upset, disappointed, and sometimes even
angry. The problem with this reaction to failure is that it shuts us down and
makes us not want to try anymore, and that’s what leads to true failure: a
lack of further attempts. On the other hand, if we can learn to celebrate
our failures as steps toward eventual success, we will continue to put in
effort, keep trying, and eventually achieve the results we want. We’re talking
about resilience and
perseverance here.
Current
research shows that these qualities have been linked to a greater
degree of lifelong success; people who exhibit resilience and perseverance are
more likely to graduate from high school and college, more likely to find and
keep a good job, and more likely to report higher degrees of happiness overall.
How can
you develop more resilience and perseverance than you currently have? Here’s a
step-by-step guide that may help you:
Step One
The first
step is to recognize that resilience and
perseverance are qualities you’d like to develop further.
Acknowledging a desire to change is the first step toward transformation.
Step Two
Be aware of what your current reaction to
“failure” is. Do you freak out? Do you throw things? Yell? Do you engage in
negative self-talk like telling yourself you’re no good, or that you’ll never
be able to do something? This is great information to have so that you can create
a plan that will eliminate your negative behaviors and replace them
with a more resilient outlook.
Step Three
Decide how you’d like to react instead. For instance, you can decide that the next time you
fail to make it to a meeting on time, you’ll choose to breathe, relax, and
acknowledge your lateness, rather than being overly apologetic and berating
yourself internally. Or, if you’ve failed to do something you said you’d do,
you can simply apologize and re-commit.
Some people find it easier to make a change
when they’re held accountable by a friend, coach, or mentor, and often,
implementing a consequence can help you overcome a stubborn bad habit. A friend
of mine agreed to put $50 in the office party fund every time he was late to a
meeting—he wasn’t late often after that!
Step Four
Decide on a set of inspiring quotes or
mantras that you can employ if you’re unable to stop the negative behavior. These might be statements like, “If I keep at it long
enough, I’m bound to succeed.” Or “The more effort it takes, the more I will
learn along the way.” The key here is that these mantras are actually exciting
and inspiring to you. Keep them in your pocket, phone or somewhere you can
access them any time, and refer to them whenever you’re feeling shut down by
failure.
Step Five
Don’t forget to give yourself some props when
you make progress. Personal growth can become tedious if we
forget to notice our progress. So instead of constantly reaching for the next
accomplishment, try celebrating your successes. “Wow! I usually break something
when I get that upset, but this time, I only thought about
breaking something!”
Step Six
Lastly, learn to see the silver lining behind
every “failure.” Challenges make us work harder, learn more, become
stronger, and stretch our capacities—that’s all really great stuff! When we
can experience a bump in the road and actually celebrate it, we know we’re on
track to doing great
things.
I mean, think about it; do you think Michael
Jordan could have achieved what he has without celebrating his failures? No
way! Jordan sees every failure as an opportunity to learn and grow. Now I know
you want to be a superstar at your life. So, start celebrating your successes
AND your failures and go out there and change the world!
http://www.lifehack.org/articles/productivity/why-you-should-celebrate-your-failures.html?ref=mail&mtype=daily_newsletter&mid=20170221_customized_editor_pick&uid=687414&hash=707e797f7e757e6d794c856d747b7b3a6f7b79&action=click
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