Failing can be a huge blow when you experience it, but beneath there are lessons it teaches. This is what I learned from failure
The first time I failed was at a driving school. It was a traumatic experience and I couldn’t help but feel ‘dumb’. Then I had a disastrous break-up (that’s a topic for another day). And then I got fired at my previous workplace as my boss said I wasn’t cut out to be a writer (it’s funny I started a community magazine and officially launched this blog). Failing happens. It’s part of everyone’s success story. But it took a while for me to embrace failure as a learning curve that I could use as a stepping-stone to write my success narrative. I have always dreamed of being my own boss and this blog is the foundation of the business ventures I want to establish. It is discouraging when one hears the huge statistics of businesses failing. It’s also scary when I think of the number of divorce cases or jobs lost and I can’t help but wonder how failing really affects people. Personally, I don’t take it well, and I don’t think everyone else does. But some of my failures have shaped me into the women I am today. The resilience I have could only be born through the disappointments and failures I have experienced. These are the five things I have learned from failure:
It’s not the end of the world: In fact, it’s only the beginning of another direction you have to take, whether in life, career, business or relationships. I thought I was a failure when I lost my job three years ago, but I am thankful I went through that because I don’t think I would have been pushed to dream as big as I do now.
Your perspective in life changes: Somehow the person you become after going through a challenge or failure changes. You don’t take anything for granted anymore and you become stronger and wiser.
You become less judgmental: I feel that unless you have walked a mile in someone’s shoes or experienced your fair share of challenges or failures it’s easy to be egoistic and judgmental towards others. From my experience, failing teaches you to be more compassionate towards other people.
You learn who your true friends are: I have seen that everyone is your friend…until you go through a rough patch in your life. I have three best friends who I am grateful for because they have been there for me in every phase of my life. And I didn’t even know I was ‘friends’ other people at all until I reached a level of success in my life.
You learn to lean on God: As a Christian, I am not shy in saying that I draw my source of strength from God who I pray to daily; especially when I go through hard times. When I find myself in the midst of failure I always tap into and trust the higher being who always ensures I pass through challenging stages of my life.
What have you learned about failure?
