How Not To Make Failing Fatal — Build Proficiency

When we talk about learning a new language or developing a new skill, one word always comes up by default. That word is ‘proficiency’. That is why when you are filling out any document that requires you to indicate your background in a particular language or skill, you will be required to indicate such by a ‘level of proficiency’.

Continuing with our series on ‘how not to make failing fatal’, I will highlight how failing can help you build proficiency in any area you are failing at, and finally make you better positioned to be able to achieve success in it. So, today here is:

Proficiency can be built with failing

The word proficiency is synonymous with the following words;

skill, skillfulness, expertise, experience, ability, capability, capacity, competence,

competency, adeptness, adroitness, excellence, mastery, prowess,

professionalism, aptitude, deftness, dexterity, finesse, effectiveness,

accomplishment, aptness, expertness, talent;

So when you improve in proficiency it means you just improved in any of these. Failing does not you. And someone once said, “what doesn’t kill you makes you stronger”. And so if failing doesn’t kill you, then there must be something it does to you. That is to make you stronger, better and more resilient.

Going back to our language and skill test and proficiency example, let’s learn from that. I have had experience with learning a new language. One thing I have discovered is that your proficiency increases with every failed attempt to master a language or a skill.

I believe that every failure has a cause. There is what is called ‘failure analysis’ in forensic and engineering practices. Failure analysis is the process of collecting and analysing data to determine the cause of a failure.

It is an important discipline in many branches of manufacturing industry, such as the electronics industry, where it is a vital tool used in the development of new products and for the improvement of existing products. If we apply this principle in life, it will be very helpful in making us a better people.

You must understand that it is not all the times you intend to improve your capability, capacity, competence, skillfulness, dexterity, deftness, excellence, professionalism or any of those virtues listed earlier that it happens at the first attempt. [Tweet “Sometimes, you have to fail over and over again to become an expert in something.”]

How can this be done? Whenever anything does not work out as planned, what is expected is to develop a mechanism or process that will help you collect and analyse information about yourself and your actions that led to the failure. It is better to handle failing that way than to leave your life to fate, believing or thinking you were meant to be a failure, and giving the society the impetus to see and call you so.

One of the best cures for low confidence resulting from failure is gaining mastery or proficiency in areas where you failed.

If your failure was caused by lack of preparation, lack of knowledge, or lack of skill — then figure out what you need to do to gain the preparation, knowledge or skill — and go do it. With practice and time, you will feel more confident in your abilities.

So this week, take every failing moment as an opportunity to improve proficiency in what you are failing at and see yourself getting stronger and better. I will see you at the top.