Kathy Ennis
What happens when you fail at something? Do you brush yourself off and start over, or slink away in embarrassment, vowing never to try anything new again? If it’s the latter, you’re missing out on a valuable learning experience that every successful businessperson understands well – failure will teach you so much more then success ever will.
You never learn from success, but you do learn from failure
James Dyson
James Dyson is well-placed to talk about failure, since it took him over 5,000 attempts to create his famous Dual Cyclone vacuum cleaner!
Other ‘famous failures’ include WD-40 (40 indicates the number of failed formulas that came before the one that worked).
Even the humble Post-It note took 12 years of development – and constant rejection – before it became the office essential it is now.
Did you know there’s even a Museum of Failure, that exhibits failed products and services from around the world?
“Innovation needs failure” is the museum’s motto, and among its big-brand exhibits are Google Glass, what was intended to be an ‘improved taste’ Coke, and fat-free Pringles (a terrible idea if I ever heard one!)
Why Don’t We Talk About Failure More Often?
It’s a good question.
We see, hear, and read so much about successful people and their brilliant businesses, that it’s easy to feel like you’re the only one who ever gets things wrong.
But many people are so scared of failure, that they don’t get started – so we never get to hear about their eventual success!
As someone who has failed many times in the past, my advice is that it’s always better to throw yourself in, and give your ideas a good go.
OK, so you may not get a ‘perfect’ result. But while it’s hard to get things 100% right, it’s just as hard to get things 100% wrong.
That means there will ALWAYS be something you can take away and learn from… and maybe even get right the next time.
And, of course, there are people like me – Business Mentors – whose role it is to help, support and nurture you. This means you can make those failures with the assurance that there will be someone there to catch you when you fall and put you back on your feet again.
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Why Failure Is the Best Teacher of Success
Failure gives us a reality check
When we fail, we’re reminded that nothing stays the same, and that we can never be in complete control.
So, we have to be as open and responsive as we can, adjusting our plans when the unexpected happens (we all have recent experience of this!) and trusting that others – such as those we’ve outsourced work to – will do what they say.
Our greatest glory is not in falling, but in rising every time we fall
Rocky Balboa
Failure makes us value what we work for
If we have to work hard for something, we naturally value it more.
That means when we try again in business, we know exactly why it’s so important to do things like attracting customers, developing strong relationships, or even getting to grips with podcasting.
We understand more about what we’re striving for.
Failure teaches us how to survive and grow
I can clearly remember all my lowest points, in my life and in my business.
While they were horrendous at the time, they also helped me realise that nothing was more important than getting myself back on track.
To do that, I had to face everything that had gone wrong, so I could learn from it all.
I call this realisation ‘finding your imperative’. It’s the ‘thing’ that makes you do whatever you have to do, almost instinctively.
And in my experience, nothing is more effective at helping you find your imperative than failure!
We don’t start learning until we have failed
People telling us that “the sky’s the limit”, and “anything’s possible”, and “follow these tips for success” is all well and good.
But no advice really takes form until the stuff hits the fan!
That’s when we tend to realise the difference between knowing and owning… because unless we ‘own’ whatever we need to do, we probably won’t do it!
Failure brings a world of opportunity
Failure means we’ve been given the chance to take stock, pause, then take a deep breath and start again.
Nine times out of ten, if we’ve honestly learned from failure, we’ll come back bigger, better, and bolder than we were before.
Failure has taught me to question my assumptions, do different, more successful things, and meet amazing people who have brought so much to my business, and to me personally.
Failure translates into courage
One of my core values is ‘courageous’.
Everyone who starts a business has to have courage, because as we know, there are no guarantees of success!
I was no different, starting a business aged 40, armed with nothing but enthusiasm and what I hoped was a good idea.
Interestingly, failure can even give us a courageous boost at times, since it teaches us how powerful and resilient we can be, both as people and as business owners.
Failure encourages inner strength
Failure teaches a positive mental attitude, as we realise that we can look at things with a ‘glass half empty’ or a ‘glass half full’ approach!
(One approach is much more appealing to customers than the other… can you guess which?)
It helps to remember things like this when you feel like giving up – and we all have days like that.
Remember that it’s a positive step to admit you need help, too, so don’t suffer in silence if that feeling of not wanting to get out of bed persists.
Failure reveals your true support network
Surrounding yourself with positive people is much better for you than spending time with people who are always complaining, or talking about themselves.
Think pipes versus drains! People fall into two categories: pipes or drains.
Water pipes bring us fresh water and allow us to feel refreshed; there are people like that. On the other hand, drains carry waste and effluent; there are people like that. So, question. Which type of people do you think you should surround yourself with – especially if failure is something you fear.
With ‘pipe’ people around you, when you need help, you can feel confident that you’ll receive it… so there’s no need to keep putting a brave face on.
Please Don’t Be Afraid to Fail!
As we’ve seen, the biggest, brightest, and best cite failure as the very thing that propelled them towards the success they enjoy now.
So why not join their ranks, by shouting, “come on failure, do your worst!”
If you could do with some help turning failure into success, or you want to understand how you can learn from your experiences, why not get in touch?
As a business mentor who’s seen it, done it, and worn the T-shirt, I can help motivate you to become even better than you think you can be.
