You’re Going to Fail. 6 Ways to Do it Well.

I spend a lot of time thinking about failure. It’s not depressing. It’s motivating. If I’m not failing on the regular, I’d question whether or not I was even trying. Failure is proof that you have left your comfort zone to get further ahead. Sure, success comes from hard work. But success also comes from failure.

Success comes from hard work. But success also comes from failure.

(Not So) Fail-Safe Advice

We all know those people who seem less risk-averse than the rest of us. While they may be naturally programmed to shoot from the hip, conquering fear is also an attitude that can be learned. You can reduce your fear of failure — So when it happens to you, you’ll be prepared.

6 Ways to Succeed at Failure

1. Define what failure actually means to you. What’s amazing, and often overlooked, is that it’s entirely up to you how you choose to define failure. It might not feel like a choice, but it is. If your goal is to travel more and work less in five years, is it a failure that you just lost your job and have to start from what feels like scratch? No! Maybe losing the job will be the best thing that ever happened, because it will force you to reassess your career path and find a better one that puts you on the right track.
2. Separate the story from the facts. Example — FACT: We sold 5000 units this year when we had planned to sell 30,000. STORY: I am not as good as my older brother and never will be. The second part of that story is just that. A story. And it can be rewritten. Let’s try this again. FACT: We sold 5000 units this year when we had planned to sell 30,000. STORY: I am smarter than I was last year, and next year we will quit producing units in blue, because they’re not as popular as the ones we produce in red. Done!
3. Evaluate the very worst case scenario. Avoid catastrophizing. What’s the worst that can happen? You lose a big account? You go into debt? You’ll need to let an employee go? All of these options suck, but are you willing to risk them for something potentially more rewarding? It’s possible that the very worst case might in fact be something you can handle. The more you can plan for, the less terrifying jumping off the cliff will feel.
4. Think more positively. I talk about the power of positivity all the time. It wipes away destructive thought patterns while it propels you forward. And the best part is you can learn how to think like this more often. Success begins by believing you can succeed.
5. Set goals, write them down. Get clear about goals by writing them down. If the future is more concrete, you will be less likely to move the goalposts. You are going to fail a thousand micro ways along the way. But I guarantee you are making more progress toward achieving your ultimate goal than you think, as long as you know what it is.
6. Reject perfectionism. Better done than perfect. That’s what I always say. Perfectionism, or waiting until something is just right before launching it out there is fear in disguise. You’re stalling. Stop it! You might fail. Actually, you probably will many times over. And when you do, there is always something to learn from and to apply to the job moving forward.

Fail Up

You will miss opportunities if you let your fears get in the way of failing. Failure can reveal our strengths. It can uncover who our true friends really are. And it can help us find new motivation in order to succeed. The next time you fear a faceplant, run towards it instead of away. Try out one of the 6 ideas I’ve laid out and see where it takes you. I bet you’ll end up moving farther ahead than you think you had thought possible.

How do you deal with the fear of defeat? How do you rise from the ashes of failure and start again? Share your advice and insights in the comments section below.