Why is Failure is necessary for Success?
- RS
- Sep 22, 2020
- 4 min read
Failure - A word that we all fear in life. None of us wants to fail. However, we all come in contact with it. Not just once, chances are multiple times in life. As a society, we see failure to be detrimental to our success, which is the opposite of the truth. Ever since we are young, we are taught to avoid failure.
In schools, we are trained to get higher grades to get into a good university or get a decent job offer after college. We avoid getting an 'F' because that would mean that we failed at something. As a matter of fact, F is the only letter grade that corresponds to the first letter it stands for; Failure. Also, our education system attaches an emotional response to getting this grade. That response could be translated as "not good enough," indicating that the fact that we couldn't pass this subject means that something is wrong with us or our abilities.
In this subtle way, the idea that failure is not good for us becomes embedded in our subconscious mind, and we try to avoid it because we don't want to feel the emotional repercussions of failure that we were taught at a young age. Instead of seeing failure as a natural part of life, we see it as something that needs to be avoided at all costs.
The interesting fact is that two of the tech giants of our century, both of them worth millions of dollars, have a very different mind-set to failure. They are tolerant of it and embrace it.
Both Jack Ma and Jeff Bezos believe that it is okay to fail and that failure is a part of the process. Ma has always been vocal about the failure, and in his interview at the World Economic Forum (WEF), he has recounted his failure, such as not getting a job in KFC, when 24 people applied and 23 of them got it with him being left out. Or not getting a job as a server in a hotel, when his cousin did. Or not being able to get into Harvard, even after applying for ten times. He explains that all of these failures prepared him for the path he took on as a CEO.
Jeff Bezos, on the other hand, emphasizes that being tolerant of failure is a big part of culture at Amazon and is responsible for its big successes. In an interview with Business Insider, Bezos states that if you do not innovate then, then you are leaving a lot on the table. In a letter to shareholders, he said, "Failure comes part and parcel with invention. It's not optional. We understand that and believe in failing early and iterating until we get it right."
Failure is natural. Failure is a part of life that we all go through to learn something and grow.
Steps to overcome the emotional aspect of failure,
Acknowledge that you have failed and your role on this failure – This is one of the essential steps. Acknowledging the failure and understanding your role in the failure, and analyzing your role practically without bringing your emotions into the process. For example, you are a brilliant writer. You have a fantastic story and skills. You publish a book that didn't do as well as you would have hoped for. That doesn't mean that you are not worthy of success. From the fact that maybe you are marketing your book on the wrong channel to audience interests, a lot of reasons that you can't control can be responsible for your "failure".
Analyze the objective reasons that make you fail - To continue the healing process, it is fundamental to honestly dig into the failure and clearly identify the causes for it. We could have always been more careful, more daring, better prepared or better connected.
Acknowledge who you are and what do you want out of life - Should I care that much? Should I try again? How is this failure related to my mission in life? How does this failure impact the materialization of my priorities? Which is my position within this failure? Who I am and how do I want this failure to affect my life? You define the definition of your failure and success.
Acknowledge what you have achieved so far - You are good. You are capable. You have just discovered one new way that won't work. But you have achieved so well so far. Make a list of all your considered successes. Keep positive. Accept that being good does not mean to be perfect.
Acknowledge the fears and obstacles that you have overcome - Getting to the point you are now, experiencing this pain of failure, is the proof you have defeated the so-called 'fear of failure.' You have given a step forward and break with the unconscious focus of avoiding future failing and securing future success. You have taken action. You have chosen. The second time will be easier, and the final goals are much closer now.
Acknowledge that no failure will finish you - Now that you have learned from your own mistakes, keep strong and determine. Take calculated risks. Improve the strategy. Advance the method.
You must acknowledge and analyze your failure. Take a break, think through the steps you followed. It's important to explore different ways to taste success. As Thomas A. Edison said, "I have not failed. I've just found 10,000 ways that won't work." "Many of life's failures are people who did not realize how close they were to success when they gave up."
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