Embracing failure: Turning your setbacks into successes

At some point, we all fail. Whether by struggling to adhere to a fitness regime, dropping the ball on a work project, or flunking a test in school, we’ve all had our share of defeats. Failure is simply a part of life–something we face as we grow. Our character, however, is not defined by whether or not we’ve failed–it’s defined by how we react to failure.

Failure can be an incredibly useful tool. With the right perspective, failure can increase motivation, drive growth, and encourage success. By embracing failure as part of the learning process, we gain the insight and determination necessary to turn obstacles into stepping stones for future successes.

Not convinced? Here are three power roles failure can play in our lives.

1. Failure as a powerful motivator

Failure can often feel defeating and, quite honestly, humiliating. However, a small shift in perspective can give us a different view of failure–as a positive, motivating factor. Our shortcomings can motivate us and give us the determination we need to achieve our intended end. One powerful example of failure as a motivator is seen in one of history’s famous inventors: Thomas Edison.

Thomas Edison failed nearly 2,700 times when attempting to invent the lightbulb. Failure of that magnitude may have impeded many. Edison, however, saw these failures not as obstacles, but as motivators. If he didn’t possess a growth-oriented perspective, he may not have achieved his goal of putting light at our fingertips, leaving generations of us in the dark–literally.

READ: 5 tips to getting and staying motivated

2. Failure as a reset

Failure provides an opportunity to reevaluate–or reset–our behavior or actions. Further, setbacks provide us an opportunity to pause and reflect on what’s working, what isn’t, and what needs to change. They push us to ask important questions: Were our goals realistic? Did we put in the necessary effort? Are we using all our talents well? Moments of failure can provide clarity that can help us recalibrate our goals where needed and revise the strategies we’re using to achieve them–and maybe even change the way we’re using our time and talents.

WD-40, the popular lubricant spray used by DIYers and home repair workers alike, got its name from the fact that it took the developers 40 attempts to get the formula right–“Water Displacement, 40th Attempt.” The previous 39 attempts weren’t seen as failures. Rather, they were seen as an opportunity to reevaluate and refine the formula until they achieved the desired result. Today, WD-40 is a household name, thanks to a positive perspective on failure.

READ: An auld lang syne to New Year’s resolutions

3. Failure as a teacher

Failure has the power to teach lessons that could never be learned under more ‘successful’ circumstances. Each stumbling block, setback, and defeat can teach us more about ourselves, how to adapt, and how to solve problems. Simply, failure can set us on a path to our better selves. In fact, psychiatrist Dr. Shauna Pollard believes failure teaches us even more lessons than success, and can boost our Emotional Intelligence (EQ), humility, and resilience.

READ: Emotional Intelligence: What it is and how to improve yours

Failure is not something to be ashamed of or feel defeated by. Rather, we can learn to value it, accepting its lessons, and gaining an even greater determination.

Reflecting on failure, we’ve crafted four powerful tips to help you embrace failure rather than shun it.

4 tips for embracing failure

Tip 1: Reframe failure as feedback

Practice viewing failure as a learning opportunity rather than a defeat. As we recently discussed, there are invaluable lessons hidden within every obstacle. When we begin to reframe our failures as feedback, it’s easier to see the opportunity for growth and success within failure. This mindset fosters resilience, helping us to adapt and refine our approach to an obstacle rather than giving up. Treating failure as feedback, we become more open to experimentation, innovation, and long-term success. This mindset also mitigates the fear of making mistakes, giving us the freedom to persevere and overcome challenges.

Tip 2: Separate failure from identity

Failing at something doesn’t make you a failure. We must separate our failures from our identity, as detaching from our failures gives us a healthier, more optimistic outlook on our growth journey. When we tie our self-identity or self-worth to our mistakes, we risk damaging our confidence, self-esteem, and motivation. It’s important to recognize that failure is an event, not a characteristic that defines us.

Tip 3: Adopt a growth mindset

There is so much to learn from each obstacle that life throws at us. When we shift to a growth mindset, we emphasize learning and progress over perfection. Failures, then, become opportunities for growth and change, rather than crushing defeats. This perspective allows us to recognize that setbacks are not indicators of weakness or a lack of talent or ability. Rather, adopting a growth mindset helps you embrace failure as a necessary part of the growth process.

Tip 4: Take action

Embracing failure is fairly useless unless we also embrace the lessons learned from failure and use them to refine your growth goals and the strategies we’re applying to reaching those goals. In order for failure to launch us into greater growth and onward to successfully reaching our goals, we must apply the insights we learn from each failure to our new attempts, to our strategies, and to our vision of our better self.

We all experience failure–and, if we’re really honest, we often fear it. For some of us, our self-limiting beliefs and fear of failure can even stop us from exploring new opportunities and realizing our potential. However, we don’t have to accept failure as a negative factor in our lives, or an inhibiting force. By embracing our failures, we increase our resilience, boost our motivation, and up the odds of achieving success–all while learning valuable lessons about ourselves.

The Growth Group, LLC