This article is provided by our guest blogger, Alex Moore, content manager of Jobapplicationcenter.com.
Learning from your Failures: We are only human
If you are learning from your failures, are they really failures?
As human beings, we’re wired to seek success. A lot of people strive to be the best in their field or at least good at it. Doing your job well earns you not only financial benefits but also recognition and appreciation both in the workplace and at home. This is why most of us dread failure.
Failing at something you were invested in is a heartbreaking experience. And unfortunately, the more passionate you were, the more it will hurt. The key to getting back on your feet afterward is to turn the experience into a lesson. This is never easy, but the right frame of mind and attitude can help a lot.
How to Learn from Failures
Everyone makes mistakes occasionally. But if you learn from them, at least they won’t be in vain. In fact, this is a good opportunity to boost your efficiency. By beginning to manage your time better and being more motivated about achieving success, you will be more productive in the long run.
You need to see your situation as positive instead of negative and concentrate on all the ways in which this experience can help you grow. Although failing doesn’t exactly seem like something that has potential to change your life for the better, it truly is just that. Here are four interesting ways in which that happens.
1. Seize the Chance to Rebuild
Every chance that didn’t take form in a satisfactory manner reveals an opportunity for something new, so you need to seize it and turn your situation around. The best example of this is the story of Walter Hainle, a vineyard owner from Canada. When all his grapes froze and turned into little balls of ice, Walter didn’t back down. Instead, he made German dessert wine, which he sold at a luxury price six years later.
Your failure will also offer you a chance to work with it and build something new from the ashes. Instead of letting yourself get controlled by anger and self-deprecating thoughts, you need to bounce back and make the best out of your situation. Remember to never play the role of the victim, and learn from your mistakes instead. Become more innovative and productive than ever before and you will put your decline behind soon enough.
2. Evolve and Improve
Allowing your mistakes to teach you a lesson instead of repressing them promotes personal growth in the best way possible. Being able to point out and admit what went wrong will prevent you from perpetuating the same inaccuracies. It also helps you be more honest with yourself and your peers in any situation that might arise in the future.
To sustain a continuous process of self-improvement and evolution, you need to adopt what is known as a growth mindset. As opposed to a fixed one, it is oriented towards constant change and acceptance of whatever situation may come your way. By putting in focused effort and being proactive and upfront about your decisions, you will excel at anything you put your mind into.
3. Become Fearless
According to Success.com, going through failure makes you fear it less. When everything works out or you, you tend to stay inside your comfort zone after a while out of fear of things going south. But when you finally make a mistake, you learn to accept it and strive to prevent it from defining your professional or personal life.
When you’re no longer crippled by the thought of producing a gaffe, you allow yourself to get out of your comfort zone. And that’s where the magic happens. Not only will you be more efficient in your profession and day to day life, but you will also produce more by putting your time to good use.
4. Be More Motivated
Finally, being in the right frame of mind and accepting your failures helps you become more productive. Instead of letting this experience affect your workflow, use it as a tool to boost your motivation vis-à-vis everything you do. Of course, different people are motivated by different things in the workplace. For some of us, appreciation is the best incentive, while for others it is money or professional benefits.
Being more determined is a key element in achieving whatever business goals you set for yourself. It improves your performance level tremendously. Just think about one particular task that you really worked at passionately. How long did it take for you to accomplish it? The answer most certainly is that you finished it way before the set deadline.
This is what happens when you are motivated. However, it’s important to channel a similar level of passion into your work all the time, not just from time to time. This is where your failure comes in. Having prior negative experiences of this sort will make you more adamant about excelling at your job, that is if you allow it to.
Conclusion
Even though it is tempting to curl up into a ball and hide your feelings when you go through failure, you need to fight this instinct and transform your situation into a beneficial one. It’s impossible to be on top of your game all the time, and making mistakes is human. The important thing is to learn from your missteps and subsequently become more productive.
By making the best of your situation not only will you be met with opportunities you didn’t know you had, but you will also pick up on improved motivation levels, a stronger capacity for innovation and higher productivity. Nobody likes to err, but if you take a step back and look at the bigger picture, you will notice all the performance-enhancing chances the situation has subtly offered you.
In the end, what matters most is to orient your mindset towards growth and evolution. This is a sure way to boost your efficiency and productivity levels. And in return, you will not only be a valuable asset professionally speaking, but your personal life will also improve.
Need more job search advice?
Join Our Discussion
For more insights and a community of like-minded professionals join our LinkedIn group Resume Help and Advice for Professionals and Executives
Author Bio: Alex Moore is the content manager of Jobapplicationcenter.com, he’s a career and job-seeking blogger and ever-curious inquirer. He believes that a quest for knowledge should never be undertaken alone, as everyone can benefit form new insights and increase their efficiency.
