Failure as Fuel

Our society tends to put a high value on success. And while that can be motivating and inspiring, it can also have some negative implications. For some, their pursuit of success leads them to avoid failure at all costs. Of course, it’s natural to want to avoid the feeling of defeat, but when that fear starts to control our actions, we’re putting some serious limits on our potential. The good news is is that, instead of fearing failure, we can use it to fuel future achievement.

Overcoming Your Fear of Failure

We sometimes spend more energy worrying about the potential for failure than we do envisioning the potential for success. It’s not necessarily easy, but overcoming this way of thinking is possible. Try pinpointing exactly what it is you’re afraid of — what the worst-case scenario would be. Staring down your fear can often help you see that it’s less daunting than it first seemed. These worst-case scenarios are likely things you’ve encountered and survived before.

Opting to Take the Right Risks

A fear of failure often confines people to their comfort zones where each move they make is a safe one. It causes people to avoid risk, and it stifles their potential for greater achievement. I think of opening myself to the potential for failure as also opening myself to the potential for success. Rather than remaining in your safe zone, taking occasional risks is necessary to promote growth and improvement. The keys are taking calculated risks and learning from every risk you take, successful and not. If you’ve gotten into a comfort-zone habit, start small and work your way up to more substantial leaps.

Seeing Failure as Fuel

When you’re committed to challenging yourself and improving, the occasional failure is inevitable. If you never encounter failure, chances are you’re not pushing yourself. When you accept that failure isn’t the end of the road, you can determine its power by how you respond to it. Getting back on your feet and absorbing the lessons is fuel for growth.

Rather than seeing failure as the opposite of success, I like to see it more as the opposite of action. When we fail, it’s often a sign that we’re striving, pushing our limits, and really engaging in our work. How do you approach failure? Do you have strategies that help you use it to drive future success? Share them with us!