This morning I am coming to terms with a failure. In the scale
of world issues it is completely insignificant. News that I failed
to win a place as an approved supplier to a major corporate client.
The odds turned out to be well stacked against (18:1), however, at
the end of the day I blew it at the final hurdle!
However, here is the good news. I am very lucky to have even been
in that position at all.
Compared to many people around the world, the fact I have even had
a good education and was able to take part is fortunate. It was a
good learning experience and I am really pleased that one of the
people I met in the process succeeded.
I sometimes say to people who are struggling with a failure. If
you were approaching the earth from space and could see all the
problems on the planet, would you highlight your failure that you
are stressing over as significant? Usually they laugh at that
point! To date no one has punched me in the mouth!
It is not like you have been buried up to your neck in sand and
are being threatened with a spade until the tide has come in! OK
maybe I am but fortunately only by my 4 year old! Sometimes in the
aftermath of failure I find humour is helpful.
JK Rowling the creator of Harry Potter mentioned failure
beautifully in a speech she did at Harvard University 'It
is impossible to live without failing at something, unless you live
so cautiously that you might as well not live at all - in which
case, you fail by default'.
The more you put yourself out there the more failure you will
experience. The more setbacks that you will need to overcome. Also
if you are running a business it is better to experience failures
while your business is smaller so you can handle them better when
it is bigger.
The truth is you learn far more about yourself when you fail. It
is therefore a natural part of the success process. You just need
to brush yourself down, get back on your horse and ride on. Also
making sure that you do not allow the judgements or feedback of
others to destroy your authenticity and confidence.
To quote JK Rowling again she also said 'The knowledge
that you have emerged wiser and stronger from setbacks means that
you are ever after, secure in your ability to survive. You will
never truly know yourself, or the strength of your relationships,
until both have been tested by adversity. Such knowledge is a true
gift, for all that is painfully won, and it has been worth more to
me than any qualification i ever earned'
So here is a great opportunity. Each time you experience failure
decide to emerge wiser and stronger.
I enjoy watching some of the Talent programmes on the TV brought
to us by newly knighted Sir Simon Cowell. Seeing the reactions of
people who have experienced failure after failure to then have
their moment of glory is very moving. Why do people at these
events and award ceremonies often cry! Because of the great effort
it has taken on their journey to get there.
See failure as a necessary stepping stone to success! It is what
you learn about you in these moments that helps you become more and
ultimately achieve more.
If you want to learn more about this natural process on the 27th
July at 8pm GMT there will be a free tele-seminar on 'The Heroes
Journey' with Ruth Sanderson and I. To register subscribe to the Be More. Achieve More.
newsletter and then email Chris@bemoreachievemore.com to
register for joining instructions.