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Community Corner

Learn Lessons From Failure

Sometimes we're averse to trying new things because we think we'll fail—but failure can teach valuable lessons.

We all make mistakes. Sometimes things just don't go the way we had planned. Failure can be a very painful and traumatic experience, and the sense of failure may cause us to feel embarrassed or hurt. Failure can't always be avoided, so we must learn how to handle it—it's part of life.

Sometimes you may notice yourself resisting certain things in life, such as pursuing your dreams, because you have thoughts that cause negative feelings. Failure can cause unpleasant emotions, which we try to avoid at all costs; however, this only leads to getting stuck in a rut, doing the same things over and over and hoping for different results.

Have you felt you failed just because you didn’t see the results you wanted to see? Often, we view results we don't like as failure. Results we like, we view as success.

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All results can be viewed as lessons as long as we've learned something and have become a better person for the experience. At that point, we know our time and effort were worth it. Failures can offer more knowledge, wisdom and insight for the next time.

Many times we might get overwhelmed and stop trying. We might stop dreaming and learning and growing in business, in love or even in life in general. Sometimes, trying something differently might give us different results—possibly a better outcome. When we see ourselves succeed once, we see that we've achieved the goal; learned the skill, knowledge and wisdom; and enjoyed the experience.

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As a lifestyle coach I have shared with my clients various ways to understand and learn from mistakes and failures:

  • Always do the best you can. If your heart is not in it, reconsider your options. It may even be time to pack up.
  • and take the best care of yourself during tough times. Eat healthily, choose exercise you enjoy and manage your stress. Reach out to family and friends.
  • Accept the failure by being fully aware of the emotions you are feeling—pain, fear, embarrassment, anger, disappointment, frustration or sadness. in a journal can help you process your thoughts and gain a better perspective.
  • and recognize how to change your attitude.
  • Understand how to handle and overcome rejection.
  • Distinguish between what you did and who you are. Remember what you learned from this. Failure doesn't make you a bad person.
  • Sometimes failure can take away your motivation to try again. Learn new information and try a different approach.
  • who have failed again and again before they reached their grand moment of success, such as Michael Jordan, Thomas Edison, Napoleon Hill and Henry Ford.
  • Plan for the future. Don't allow your past failures to keep you from trying again in the future. Refer back to the lessons you've learned along the way.

Even when you haven't yet seen the outcome or results you wanted, remind yourself there is something even better coming your way. Don't give up too soon; keep going!

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