| How often do you fail, Friend? If making an impact while achieving high-levels of success is important to you, then your answer should be (a semi-enthusiastic) "all the time".
Deep down, you know that failure provides new growth and learning for future successes and yet you probably try to avoid it at all costs. You might even pretend you haven't failed when you clearly have (don't worry, it's a common phenomenon).
Failure - even the thought of failing - creates internal resistance and fear. That's why it's so important to learn how to begin feeling more self-confident after you've failed while adopting a fail-forward mentality. It's the key to success (and also an important part of being happy).
What It Means to Fail-Forward
Have you heard the term failing forward? John C. Maxwell wrote a book about it (which I highly recommend).The short-hand version of what the book is about is this:
- People who succeed aren't luckier or more blessed than those who don't (and they don't succeed because of background, family, or money either). The difference between those who achieve great things and those that don't is how they perceive and respond to failure.
- Most people aren't prepared to deal with failure in a way that helps them succeed. Instead of embracing failure, it's feared. And that leads most to do whatever they can to not fail and avoid risk.
- If you want to succeed in life and make the biggest impact, then you must make failure your friend. That means to (1) accept that you'll fail (and that you'll never know when or what you'll fail at), (2) courageously move forward despite your fears, and (3) figure out how to deal with problems instead of actively trying to avoid them.
Why Failing Forward Is Important
You might believe that you prefer a life that's risk-averse and simpler than one of failure... but are you so sure?
Although that might make you initially feel better, it will eventually lead to a life controlled by fear.
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