Failure is not real.
That’s a pretty profound statement. And, it’s something I’m learning, and something I think everyone could benefit from understanding on a deeper level.
Failure is not something you can touch, or see. It’s not an actual three-dimensional thing. Failure is only a thought or a belief that we have about something.
Often, we accept the thought or belief of failure as a hard and fast truth. However, thoughts are only a compilation of what we have been taught or learned from the past, with our own personal filter and biases. Once we recognize a thought, like failure, that doesn’t serve us, we should take the opportunity to challenge the thought. Once we recognize that what we are thinking is not true, or real, we can purposefully redirect it to a thought that better serves us. Changing the way we think, particularly with regard to failure, will change the way we feel and in turn, influence the action that we take.
When we challenge our existing thought patterns around failure, and begin to believe that failures don’t exist, then we can replace those thoughts and beliefs we have about events or activities that didn’t work the way we expected. We can replace the word ‘failure’ with other words like learning opportunities, lessons, first tries, or even stepping stones.
Reframing your view of failure will lead you to ask more questions…what did I learn, how can I do it differently, what do I know now that I didn’t know before. These questions are the key to moving toward your desired outcome. By turning what you previously thought of as failures into questions about how to do better, you will begin to find momentum in the action that moves you toward your goals.
Instead of thinking, I didn’t get the job that I applied for, I must be a failure.”, what if you thought “I didn’t get the job I applied for, what did I learn about the job or myself in the process that can be applied in the future?”
Instead of thinking, “My new product launch failed.”, what if you thought, “That new product launch taught me that my message was not resonating with my audience, what might resonate better?”
Instead of thinking, “I failed to meet my weight loss goal.”, what if you thought, “What additional steps could I take to make my next goal?”
What would it be like if you changed the thoughts that you have around failure?