Imagine life like a hurdle race, there are hurdles after every 10 steps. You cannot afford to stop, you have to keep moving forward. You get back up if you fall, you jump and overcome the blocks of hurdles, you continue walking if you don’t have the energy to run; you might want to stop and breathe for a moment but you ‘have to continue moving forward.’ That’s how life is. It’s never a smooth slide for anyone.
Since we all fall in the hurdle race of life, we all fail. This blog will help you normalize failure in your mind and give you a push to move forward.
Remember that Everyone Fails
We live in a world that glorifies success as the ultimate form of human enlightenment. The virtual world that we all blindly follow shows us deceptive stories and shows them from a twisted angle. If you talk to people for real and listen to their stories you’ll find that most of them failed most of the time in their lives.
So you need to ‘normalize’ failure in your mind, first and foremost.
Your Failure doesn’t define you as an Individual
You as an individual are a composition of all your unique characteristics, skills, habits, DNA, and experiences. No individual can be compared to the other as each one has had their own unique journey.
Remember, you as an individual are not defined by your failure only. Failure is only a phase, only a hurdle, not your lifetime identity tag.
Failure isn’t a Cliff or Dead-End
Try to imagine this analogy. Your failure is not a cliff that you slip from or a dead-end beyond which you have no way forward. But rather, your failure is just another fallen tree trunk on the road that brought a short break in between your journey. Remember there’s always an alternative way to reach your destination, or there’s always a U-turn at the dead-end you feel you’re stuck at.
Surround yourself with positive people who understand you
Nobody is asking you to listen to the boring lectures and podcasts of motivational speakers. However, make sure you spend time with your allies, spend time with people who don’t judge you, and people who believe in you. Do NOT isolate yourself, try to be expressive, as bottling in your emotions is a quagmire. It won’t help you win over your failure.
Learn from your Mistakes
It’s a good strategy to reflect and understand where you went wrong. The next idea is to learn from those mistakes and try to improve. It’s a constructive coping mechanism.
Note that reflecting back and looking forward might as well be your moment to reconsider your decision to continue walking the path you’re walking or to switch your lane.
Take a Break, if you Can
Take a short break if you can. Indulge in your favourite form of art or travel with people who are encouraging to you. A short break might give your ‘will’ back to you.
Seek Professional Help if you Feel Like
It’s never too late to seek professional counselling if you find yourself sinking deep into the blues of sadness and hopelessness.