How to think about success and failure to fuel motivation and performance

How we think about both the world and ourselves has a major impact on not only our mental wellbeing but also our ability to perform at work. I’d like to cover two crucial, evidence-based ways of thinking – one on success and one on failure – that can really make a difference.?

1. Believing “I succeed because I work hard” rather than “I succeed because I am intelligent”

Psychologists say that “I succeed because I work hard” is a message that illustrates what’s known as a growth mindset – that results come about as a result of effort and persistence. The underlying message is that hard work gets better results. So, how can we get even better results? By working even harder, of course.

In contrast, “I succeed because I am intelligent” illustrates a gifts or fixed mind-set – that results come about as a result of a stable trait that we either have or do not have. Many people believe that intelligence is something that people are either born with or without.

The danger with the gifts mind-set is that people may give up when faced with truly difficult challenges. Believing themselves to be intelligent, they don’t like to be proved wrong. So, when something looks tough, they may give up rather than risk failure, which would prove that they therefore must not be intelligent.

Overall, studies have shown that people with a growth mindset tend to have higher levels of motivation and persistence than people with the gifts mindset. Whenever possible then, congratulate yourself for your hard work and efforts rather than your innate intelligence.

2. Thinking “I failed” rather than “I am a failure”

When something goes wrong, saying “I failed” suggests that there is a specific situation or cause that led to a task going wrong. However, saying “I am a failure” suggests that a person is broadly bad at many (or even all) tasks.

Think about the unspoken implications behind each statement:

• Saying “I failed” is almost the same as saying “I failed on this occasion (but I can do better another time)”.
• In contrast, saying “I am a failure” is tantamount to admitting “I am a failure at most things (so I should give up)”.

Psychologists have found that the narrower attribution of “I failed” tends to be associated with better outcomes. People report being less sad and hopeless when they tell themselves “I failed” as opposed to “I am a failure”. In terms of performance, people’s motivation also remains higher when they attribute disappointments to having failed as opposed to being a failure.

So, feel free to admit to yourself that “I failed”. You can learn from your mistakes and do better next time. But avoid telling yourself that “I am a failure”.

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Chartered Psychologist Dr Rob Yeung

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