What’s one word that rips at the heart of any human being? One word that stops us dead in our tracks. One word we allow all to often to identify who we are.
That word…FAILURE! We allow our failures, real or perceived, to stall and even stop our progress. We allow failure to define who we are and what we’ve done and even what we can do. But what if we were to look at failure in a different light? Instead of failures holding us back, why not use them as fuel to propel us to new and greater success!
Here are 5 ways to use Failure as Fuel!
1. Take Responsibility!
This may sound a bit off, but think about it. If you are always blaming someone or something else for your failures, then you have absolutely no control to change it! By accepting responsibility of you failures, you are telling yourself and the world to watch out! You are going to find out why you received the results you did and determine what you need to do in order to generate the results you desire!
2. Use failures to uncover additional opportunities!
Once you have accepted responsibility it will free your mind to look at how these failures have opened up new opportunities. Opportunities to look for different solutions in order to to achieve your desired outcomes. Don’t allow failure to limit yourself to only your way of thinking. Use failures as a catalyst to grow and expand your mind and knowledge.
3. See failures as steps in the journey to success!
Failure isn’t the end. In fact the only way you can fail is if you quit! See your failures as building blocks to greater and bigger successes for the future. Remember, Rome wasn’t built in a day and anything worth working for won’t be either. Use failures as a new launch pad for the next leg of your success journey.
4. Use failures as motivation to drive harder to your end goal.
Just as we view failure as one step in the success journey, use failure to motivate you to drive harder towards your end goal. Failure can be used as either a propellant or a deterrent. How you respond to failure will determine the rate at which you push towards success. Great inventors such as Thomas Edison used failure as fuel to create the light bulb. He’s been quoted as saying:
“I have not failed, I’ve just found 10,000 ways that won’t work.”
5. Use failures as a time for honest reflection
Failures often hit you like a sucker punch in the gut. They cause you to lose your breath and take a step back. Use this time as a reflection period and have an honest discussion with yourself. Reflect on what has happened, what brought you to this point and what can you do to achieve the desired results.
Failure is inevitable. How we respond to failure is 100% up to us. Take responsibility and use failure as fuel to lead you on to success!
How have you used failures in the past as fuel for success? Leave a reply in the comment section below.