“Remember the two benefits of failure. First, if you do fail, you learn what doesn’t work; and second, the failure gives you the opportunity to try a new approach.”
If you’ve read my other post regarding failure, then you know that I believe failure is a catalyst to success. Follow these 7 tips and you’ll be able to turn your failures into opportunities you never knew existed.
1. Don’t Avoid Failure Like the Plague
Although failure is not what we aim for in life, we should not avoid it in hopes of never having to deal with it. We learn and develop personally from failure. Avoiding this important learning tool will make it unlikely for you to enter into any new endeavors.
2. Take a Step Back From Your Failure
Don’t take failure personally. Yes, it is you who failed and I’m not advocating passing the blame for your failure on to someone else. However, it’s difficult to learn from something when our only perspective is subjective. Being objective about what went wrong and how you can fix the problem will make you all the more likely to try again.
3. Write Down the Steps That Lead to the Failure
Let’s not assume that because the outcome was a failure then all the steps we took must have been wrong as well. If you really want to learn from your mistake, list the steps you took and examine each one to see where you went astray. After all, we don’t want to throw the baby out with the bathwater!
4. Visualize The Successful Version of Your Failure
Okay, you know what the failure looks like because you’re standing right in the middle of it. What would the outcome have looked like if you had succeeded? Make sure you have a crystal clear vision of this success. Write down or draw the details if you have to.
5. Don’t Give in to Perfectionism
Is your failure really a failure or are you expecting perfect results? If you deem everything you try to be a failure because it isn’t perfect, then you’ll be closing many doors that could have lead to exciting opportunities. Make sure you have actually failed before trying again.
6. Get Right Back on the Wagon
Don’t waste time bemoaning your mistakes or over-analyzing them. Be aware of the steps that lead to the failure, but don’t go over them with a fine-toothed comb. Quickly identify where you went wrong and try again before you have time to “over think.”
7. Take Responsibility for Your Failure
Although you want to remain objective when analyzing where you went wrong, you need to avoid passing the buck. Realizing that it is you who made the mistake, will more likely spur you into changing your strategies, getting you closer than ever to your goal.
Failure is a valuable stepping stool; learn from it and try again. And remember, if you want to grow personally (as most of us do 
), you must see failure as the secret messenger that tells you what works and what doesn’t–just be aware that this “voice” is only a whisper; you have to listen to hear it.
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