They say “nothing ventured, nothing gained.” I’m not sure who “they” are, but they make the risk of failure seem way more simple than it really is. It can be a devastating blow to you and your organization. When you invest your heart and soul into your business, failure can hurt in a way that only entrepreneurs can understand.
So how do you take advantage of these failures and use them as learning opportunities? Here are a few ways to help with that:
Be Willing To Risk Everything
You can’t truly succeed if you’re not willing to risk everything. So when you face that failure, face it head-on. Be proud that you have something that’s worth taking risks, and be proud that you pushed yourself.
Use The Fear Of Failure As Motivation
Let that fear push you toward success. It might be easy to let that failure paralyze you, but if you use it as motivation to keep you moving toward your goals. Understand that failure can help propel you forward – but only if you let it.
Realize Experience Is The Best Teacher
Anyone who has never failed at anything hasn’t really succeeded. Failure means you’ve taken risks, and you can appreciate what you have better than anyone else. Each time you fail, you have the opportunity to ask yourself what you will do differently next time. That lays a strong foundation to make your organization stronger with each step you take.
Know What You Can’t Lose
When it feels like you’ve lost everything, you’ve still got something. Find that. My moments of failure have helped me discover who I truly am more than any moments of success. You’ve still got your ethics, your passion, your resilience and everything else that makes you who you truly are. No matter what happens, there are some things no one can ever take away from you.
Life Is Not About Winning Or Losing
If you’re convinced that there are only winners and losers in life, you’re wrong. Life is about learning. The only person you’re trying to be better than is the person you were yesterday.
Find What’s Worth It To You
Sometimes failure can serve as an opportunity for you to let go of what’s not worth it to you. However, letting go of something is different from giving up. Decide what’s worth fighting for. If it’s not worth it to you, let it go.
The most successful types of people are the ones who know how to recover and rebuild after every setback. Take your failure as an opportunity to become one of those people.
by: Emily Brady
Emily Brady received her Bachelors at Brigham Young University Idaho where she majored in Communication Sciences with an emphasis in journalism and professional management. She has written for Scroll News and Deseret Digital Media and is currently a freelance writer. In her free time she enjoys hiking, reading and swinging in her hammock.
