Failure comes in all shapes and forms, and everyone has their own ideas about it. One thing that is certain, however, is that failure sucks. Heck, the mere thought of failing at anything is enough to put most people off trying in the first place. But it shouldn’t. Learning to deal with failure in a positive way may sound difficult, but once you’ve mastered it, you’ll be on the road to success – and that goes for blogging too.
Blogging takes a lot of time and effort, and you won’t see results straight away –it’s normal. A lot of decisions made about blogs are the result of trial-and-error, so be prepared to try a lot of different things before getting it right.
Follow these 5 steps and you’ll have made your peace with failure in no time.
Own it
You didn’t do as well as you thought you did, or you missed the mark entirely. So what?
Everyone has failed at something at some point in life (whether they choose to admit it or not) and contrary to popular belief, it’s not the end of the world. Don’t be ashamed to tell those around you about it; it’ll probably help you weed out any unsupportive parties and allow you to focus on maintaining relationships with those who fully believe in you. Fake friends, your time is up – thanks, failure.
Don’t Let Yourself Wallow in Self-pity
You’ll get away with this for a few days tops, but then it’s back to the grind. The reason success is celebrated is because it takes hard work and guts to get there, so waste little time and figure out a new strategy. Use it as an opportunity to take a walk down a different path: be open to new ideas and say yes to things when you’d normally say no – what have you got to lose? You’ve hit bottom, now the only way is up, baaaaby – praise to Yazz for such inspirational lyrics.
You never know, that person you caught taking an interest in your journal on your subway ride home from a failed interview could prove a useful contact to you – engage with them.
See Also: Be a Rebel: 7 Tips for Radical Achievement from Albert Einstein
Get Feedback
If you didn’t know there was anything wrong with your work in the first place, chances are you still don’t know now. Asking for feedback is important, whether it be from a friend, a professional or even a complete stranger.
Sometimes, all you need is a fresh perspective – someone to help you see things from a new angle can make all the difference. If nothing is making sense, ask for help – you’re only human, and we all need a little help along the way.
Keep Moving Forward
View failure as an attempt at success – you didn’t achieve it this time, but who’s to say you won’t next time? Keep your cool and keep moving forward. Your brain is a wonderful tool – put it to good use by trying out new techniques, writing styles or whatever comes to mind. Your comfort zone isn’t designed to be lived in so get outta there! Unlock your creative side and let your ideas flow.
Accept That It May Happen Again
Making friends with failure will be difficult, but it’ll be worth it. You have to be prepared for anything, which means being prepared to fail again. Re-adjusting your attitude could be the making of you, so don’t hesitate. Accepting failure is not accepting defeat, it’s being realistic. You’ll probably find that it pushes you to work even harder, which is always a good thing, regardless of what you’re working on.
Failure won’t kill you, but it’ll definitely make you stronger. Your potential knows no bounds, so get back out there and show everyone what you’re made of! Success takes time and dedication among a heap of other things, so remember – life is a marathon, not a sprint. Be assertive and confident, and don’t forget to work hard. Failure will try and bring you down – don’t let it. If failure prevents you from trying, you will never achieve success; it’s as simple as that.
Think back to these 5 ways to make the most of failure when you’re considering giving up, and you’ll be back on track before you know it.
See Also: Why You Should Forget Success And Strive to Fail