The Positive Impact of Failure
By Sara Butler
Life is full of ups and downs, and anyone who has lived a full life can tell you it’s not all puppy dogs and rainbows. Things are going to happen you can’t account for. You might lose your job, get passed up for a promotion you deserve, or maybe even get a divorce – you never know what’s in store for you. The thing is, failure doesn’t have to be something that gets you down, it can be something that lifts you up. It really just depends on how you look at it. Here are some of the benefits of failure you may have never considered.
It Helps You to Realize What’s Really Important
When you feel like you’re at a low point and something isn’t going your way, that’s when the important things become clearest. Many people don’t focus on long-term priorities, but live day to day focusing on the short-term goals. The things is, sometimes you realize that sacrifices are going to be necessary for your long-term plans. So, what you may consider a failure at this moment is merely a stepping stone to get you where you ultimately want and need to be.
On the flip side, when you’ve been relentlessly pursuing something and you fail, it may be what you need to realize that what you thought you needed really isn’t what you needed at all.
Going Back to the Start
When you have a long-term goal, sometimes it’s easy to lose sight of what made you want it from the start. Did you want to be a veterinarian because you fell in love with animals at a young age, or do you want to be a journalist because you read an article that changed your life when you were young? Whatever your goal, it can be easy to get sidetracked and forget why you’re there in the first place. When you experience setbacks in your journey, it’s important to remember why you began your pursuit in the first place.
Look How Far You’ve Come
People tend to constantly move the goal posts on their dreams and desires. When you start out you may view one success as the end goal, only to find something bigger and better to work toward as you pursue the original goal. If you experience a failure, use it as an opportunity to look at how far you’ve come since you started. You’re not a failure, you’re a success!