Fail Forward

Failing forward requires changing how we view making mistakes. One of the best first steps towards being successful is using errors as positive learning experiences rather than viewing them as setbacks. 

Steve Jobs was fired from his job before Apple. Michael Jordan was cut from his high school team. Walt Disney was bankrupt. Failure breeds success – but only if you keep working at it. 

It’s commonly said that if you aren’t making mistakes, then you really aren’t trying to learn anything new. The employee who never learned anything from making mistakes is usually working for the guys who did! 

“Defeat isn’t bitter if you’re smart enough not to swallow it.”

Let me say that again. 

Defeat isn’t bitter if you’re smart enough not to swallow it.

Mistakes aren’t meant to be ignored. Accept responsibility for the mistake – then just move on. Take a step back from the scenario, identify some of the suspected catalysts for the mistake, and establish a plan of action moving forward. It’s okay to slip up, but repeat mistakes must be avoided at all costs. 

The power to flip the script on failure is in the hands of anyone that is willing to work for it. It’s certainly not as easy as words may make it sound, but it’s possible to find a light at the end of every tunnel. Open your mind to the idea that failure can be beneficial and turn negatives into positives throughout every aspect of life. 

Life knocks everyone down from time to time – it just happens; furthermore, the measure of a person is defined in those vulnerable moments when they must choose between giving up, or getting up. It doesn’t matter how many times you have to pull yourself back up, just do it. Fail forward. Learning from past experiences is key to the process of cognitive development continuing through adult life – keep getting back up. 

“When achievers fail, they see it as a momentary event, not a lifelong epidemic.” – John C. Maxwell