“When you learn from failure, you never fail.”
—Nancy Salmeron
“So, why haven’t you pursued your dream of having your own flower shop?” I asked my friend who loves to design floral arrangements.
“I am a bit too old to start something new in my life,” she said.
“Fifty years old is not too old,” I responded. “Did you know that Julia Child, the famous chef, was fifty years old when she made her dream happen?”
“Really?” she said.
“Yes,” I told her.
“You want to know the truth?” my friend asked me. “I don’t want to fail at my age. And I know that for any dream to become a reality you must fail.”
“Yes, that is a fact,” I said. “You must fail and you will fail and that is the price you must pay. But why are you avoiding failure?”
“Well, I don’t have the energy or the mental strength to deal with failure,” she said.
“I see,” I told her. “However, I believe you can handle anything that comes your way. I also know that you have treated failure as an ugly part of life. But for me, failure has been my greatest teacher and companion as I have pursued my dreams. I have learned to welcome failure and to be comfortable around it. I have learned that failure will raise me up. It shows me things about myself and others that I would never have discovered. Failure is part of the journey to believing, changing, and becoming. Without failure there would be no progress. I believe you can be a success as an owner of a flower shop. But I also know that your desire must be bigger than your fear of failure.”
“Thank you for believing in me,” she said. “I guess I have to work on my making my desire greater and embracing my fear of failure.”
“Yes,” I replied.
Today, let’s talk about how failure is the gateway to success.
Failure is part of life, business, and any relationship that we embrace.
When we think of failure, it is part of the human experience to fear it and be ashamed of it. We may not like how failure makes us feel. Failure may make you feel humiliated and depleted. Many people never pursue lives of their own creation because they are afraid to fail. But we must remember that failure is part of the life experience. Failure and success are cousins. The sooner we stop avoiding or shaming failure, the sooner we will find success.
Failure is not the problem. The problem is when we don’t learn from our mistakes.
The sooner you identify your mistakes, the sooner you will learn from them and move on. If you want to become a pro at failing, you must be willing to let failure teach you something about yourself or others. You must be willing to be okay with failing the lesson, studying what parts of the lesson you failed, and then trying it one more time. You only grow when you learn, and you only learn when you fail.
Let go of perfection addiction and allow failure to guide you.
Perfection addiction is the sure way to fail. Those who won’t get started on their dreams until the perfect time comes along will eventually realize that no such time exists. True failure is when we don’t try or never get started. When we don’t attempt what we desire, we are failing. The key to ultimate success is to start seeking, get moving, and start pursuing what you desire. Then let failure show you the next step or move.
Consistent action will create consistent results.
To become a master of a craft, you must get started. Yes, you will experience much doubt, fear, and failure in the beginning, but your strength will soon appear and grow. Let yourself stumble and fall. Learn to dust yourself off as you get up. Remember, that what you do everyday matters, and action is a sure way to master your craft.
We have all been afraid and ashamed of failure, and it has kept us from living a life of success and joy. Don’t fear or try to avoid failure. Welcome it, learn from it, and embrace it. As you realize that failure is the gateway to success, you discover personal growth that raises you up. Failure teaches you about change and makes you stronger in the end. Shift your perspective on failure, and trust failure to show you what your next move should be. Remember, to live a life that you love you must understand that failure is part of the journey, and your adaptation and growth are the requirements for success. Until next time, Believe. Change. Become.