Failure is an interesting concept.
Most of us run from it or hide from it.
In my opinion, there are two culprits responsible for our flight from failure:
1) We fear judgment from our peers
We’re afraid to get embarrassed or look foolish and jeopardize our reputation by doing something that might prove us as unsuccessful, even if it’s momentarily.
2) We don’t want evidence disproving any beliefs we might have about ourselves
Ego tends to be a powerful factor when it comes to our decision making.
We resist failure because a failure is blatant proof that we weren’t good enough.
But we want to be good enough and we hate acknowledging our shortcomings.
However, the funny thing is that only by acknowledging our shortcomings can we hope to improve upon them.
What’s my take on failure?
Don’t be afraid to fail and look foolish but don’t make large, consistent failures frequently.
Get into the habit of creating small wins consistently. A small win is still a very valuable win.
Research supports that you build momentum when you create small wins during the day and throughout the week.
Also, it’s important to keep in mind that no one starts off perfect. Many people who are cited as geniuses had their fair share of losses under their belt before the world knew them as geniuses.
Even Kobe Bryant, known as one of the greatest basketball players of all times, started out as a child in a basketball league that couldn’t make a single basket.
It was only through consistent failure — not playing in a manner that was desirable — that he eventually pushed himself to the point of being known for his basketball prowess.
I think failure should be re-framed.
Perhaps we should view it less as a form of losing and more as a necessary step towards becoming who we want to be and getting what we want.