Any failure can give us the motivation to try something different in pursuit of our dreams. Here are four tips to help you turn any defeat into a victory.
1. Learn your lessons
As one venture capitalist said, “I will never invest in a company whose leaders have never failed.” Many of his colleagues also share this opinion.
The answer lies in the field of psychology. We learn lessons from failure that success never teaches us. Failure builds character, which is valued both in business and in life.
The moment we realize that failure is inevitable, there is a struggle within us. We begin to doubt our own worth, the meaningfulness of our efforts, and even the meaning of life. The dark days after defeat reveal our true selves.
Failure can teach us empathy for others. It teaches us to think about those less fortunate in life and helps us develop tolerance for others. These qualities are essential for success in life and business. It is important to accept defeat with gratitude for the lessons you learned from it (even if they cost you dearly). Failures force you to rethink your actions – right and wrong.
2. Set the bar high for yourself.
If we failed, it means we took a risk. This means that average results are not enough for us, we aim higher – and this is the key to success. Dreams motivate to high goals. If we set ourselves easy goals in order to avoid failure, then we will not be able to rise above the average level.
When we don’t take risks, we don’t learn anything, and it’s much easier than trying to achieve something really big, risking being ridiculed if we fail. In order not to remain “average”, you need to take risks. Fortunately, even failure when trying to achieve a high goal brings us closer to success.
3. Take courage
It takes courage to achieve your dreams. Courage is not an innate quality, but a skill that can be developed. We become bolder when we take risks, fail, and then succeed. From the point of view of evolutionary psychology, courage is not the absence of fear, but the presence of such a strong motivation that makes one act in spite of this fear.
The desire to achieve what you dream of must be stronger than any fear of failure. Thinking about a dream should give courage.
4. Reframe your dream
A dream is a big goal that is hard to achieve. The path to the dream is long, painful, full of trials, mistakes and failures. Failure often happens no matter how hard you work, how prepared and motivated you are.
Failures still happen. And this is the most important part of success. As we learn from each defeat, we can adjust our path to new experiences.
About the Expert: Amy Ashmore is an American psychologist, psychology teacher, and author of articles and books.