Failure Isn't the first step

Fail, Fail, Fail!!

Fail once, twice, thrice, a thousand times, still keep on failing and you would win one day, Succeed in that business you are working for, win a competition, crack your dream job!?

Modern day so called “LIFE GURUs” honour failure so much, what's the reason behind this??

I was going through some data sheets around droppers re-appearing in exams like JEE and NEET, shocking facts? Highest recorded selection ratio of droppers is below 40%, some data insights show even poor selection ratios as low as 5%-1% amongst droppers. An unemployed or low-skilled engineer might require 15 to 20 interviews on average to secure a job, whereas those already working are hired on the go.

How can someone fail exams preparing for it 4 years straight? Why are candidates not hired in spite of failing 20 times!!!

Why is “Failure” not working??

We also have examples which show failure leading to Unparalleled successes. Almost every notable personality mentions failure as their teacher. If failure was to teach you something or failure solely led an individual to success why are millions failing year on year?? You might be thinking, and you should!! There is something missing in this recipe right??

Yes, there is something,?

How to get that?

Simple answer : “Retrospect”

Why???

The difference between these results is not just about what you do on the D-day but what you routinely do during your preparation, there are millions of ways to fail doing a certain task, but a single way to reach the top,?

One who fails, discovers a single wrong path, millions to explore, One who reflects, analyses, and learns uncovers countless wrong ways, Yet, one who succeeds has found the best way!

Looks good! Sounds good!

But what next? I retrospected, I learnt, still failing, asked one of my juniors?

My answers??

You haven’t!?

And that's where the gap resides, between those who win and those who tried to,?

You can’t learn everything by failing, schools taught you to read, universities taught you research, if you were there trying to read without learning alphabets, it would have taken decades before you even opened this article to read.

Then why not learn from others except schools??

Chinese billionaire Jack Ma once quoted “Instead of learning from other people's success, learn from their mistakes.” and that’s true, even AI is based on learning, datasets provide the basis for an AI model to work as intended, or no one would use it, right?

?All the tech companies are in a rat race to get hold of all the “RELEVANT” data out there, these models do learn through mistakes but are primarily developed using pre-labelled datasets.

Emphasise more on the word “RELEVANT”!

Why can't we do this as humans? Learn from mistakes, but not just ours, from others as well. The moment you start to learn from other’s mistakes, you are reducing your time to the top.

This lesson for me was a bit hard to grasp and even harder to implement, the derivative of learning from others is far more important than you think,

What is it??

My answer, Mindset!!

You can move mountains if you have the right mindsets and fail a math test with the wrong one!!

Philosophers round the globe have defined mindsets in different ways, mine would be something different,

Mindset is just someone’s view over a certain situation governed by the environment, peers and past experiences.

That's it! Simple right?

What's life all about? know how to learn from others and build the right mindset. Rest things would move smoothly.

If you got the crux of what I want you to learn, you are free to leave right here, no need to read further, but if you are one of those who procrastinate, be here, start now!!!!?

Well begun is half done, but I always aim for not 100% nor 110% but 1000%.

?Why think small when you can achieve big??

Before we proceed on to the next section of this article, I just wanted to tackle a very very prominent question, which many ask but never answer, it's something which you yourself have the answer for.

I can’t achieve anything, I failed, I retrospected, I learnt, but still failed

There would be circumstances where the parameters governing the results would not be in your hand, I call then controlables, whenever there are less or no controlables, you have to practice all the principles i mentioned above but at the same time you have to recall this question,

What would I dream of, if I knew I would never fail??

Now let's discuss how can we build up a winning mindset just by retrospecting,

Always remember, consistency is the mother of mastery!!

Understanding Failure

• Failure as a Feedback Loop: Failures aren't dead ends, they're signposts pointing towards areas where we can grow. Just like a GPS recalculating the route when you make a wrong turn, we can use failures to refine our strategies and achieve our goals
• Embrace the Unknown: Fear of failure can hold us back. By embracing the unknown, we open ourselves up to new possibilities and valuable lessons. Remember, even the most successful people have faced setbacks
• Reframe Failure: Failure isn't a dead end, it's a detour on the road to success. By reframing our perspective, we can transform setbacks into stepping stones..
• The Power of Persistence: Success often requires unwavering persistence. Even when faced with repeated failures, it's essential to keep pushing forward and believe in your abilities.

Learning from Mistakes

• Active Reflection: Learning from mistakes requires active reflection. By examining the root causes of our failures, we can gain valuable insights and make necessary changes. Maybe just start writing a diary? Reflect, analyze and come back strong!
• Seek Feedback: Feedback is a gift. By seeking input from others, we can gain valuable perspectives and identify areas where we can strengthen our skills. ( That's the reason I want you to just comment your thoughts on this article once you finish reading :) )
• Learn from Others: We can accelerate our learning by studying the successes and failures of others. By understanding their journeys, we can gain valuable insights and avoid common mistakes.
• Continuous Improvement: Success is not a destination; it's a journey. By continuously striving for improvement, we can stay ahead of the curve and achieve our goals. Used widely in industries these days, we call it agile methodology where continuous retrospectives and development work concurrently.?

?Building a Winning Mindset

• Growth Mindset: A growth mindset is essential for success. By believing in our ability to learn and grow, we can overcome challenges and achieve our goals
• Visualize Success: Visualization is a powerful tool for achieving success. By mentally rehearsing our goals, we can boost our motivation and confidence. You ask any athlete who runs, jumps or even a business tycoon who wants to pitch his product, everyone, literally everyone starts with visualizing a hall full of investors reading to put in money, of race tracks ready to be cleared, of that football field, lifting that trophy,?

Yes! Success needs to be visualized, it creates positive vibrations which in turn is reciprocated by the universe to help you out where you yourself can’t, try it and prove me correct!

• Positive Affirmations: I am capable and competent",I am winning and lifting that trophy", go out and shout this, ever wondered why armies have a war cry?
• Emotional Intelligence: Your first reaction to any situation is usually outdated, it’s an answer you came up with long ago and now instead of thinking, you react, always take time to reflect.

?Emotional intelligence is essential for success. By understanding and managing our emotions, we can navigate challenges and maintain a positive outlook

Taking Action

• Set Realistic Goals: Setting realistic goals is key to achieving success. By breaking down large goals into smaller, manageable steps, we can stay motivated and make progress. Don’t overplan, stick to small daily / hourly plans and let compounding work!
• Time Management: Effective time management is essential for productivity. By prioritizing tasks and using time-saving strategies, we can accomplish more and reduce stress.

This is something everyone knows but no one works for, time is the luxury you are losing every moment, “ Jisne timing samajhli na wo bhagwan hai”, be at the right place at the right time and let time work for you, for that manage your time wisely, everyone has nly 24 hours in a day, it matters how you plan them.

• Seek Support:Building a strong support network can help us overcome challenges and stay motivated. By connecting with others, we can receive encouragement, advice, and a sense of community

Never Hesitate to ask for help, you would regret not asking out for that opportunity when someone else grabs it, be humble, be polite and ask!?

What is this all for? Is this enough?

Never!?

This is just for you to start, nothing is ever “Enough”, progress is everlasting if you have that right mindset, and to build one you need practice and direction,

So what about failures, the question which we asked ourselves before??

We know failure’s the first step, most people are busy focusing on this but miss out on the riser, the height, the steep descent which is “Mindset”, you have to build a riser on a step to advance to the next level and that’s mindset!

“The difference between one who fails and gets up to reach new heights and one who stays there forever is the mindset they build by retrospecting the failures”

this would be a single line answer for all those failing.

Irrespective of your abilities, talent, upbringings, environment, peers, economic conditions, market state, external support, muscle power the thing which outperforms all of this is “Mindset”

Go build one and let time speak for you,

Ability might help you to make it to the top, but it takes character to stay there!