Make Failure Your Friend
Setbacks in life are common occurrences. Whether the curveballs life throws at you will result in halting defeats or merely temporary drifts off tangent depends on your mindset. With the right mindset, you can definitely overcome challenges eventually.
When facing setbacks, the first step would be to understand the origin of the obstacles and where they stem from. Secondly, take some time to figure out how far you have deviated from your initial goal or plan. It is only through real world experience that you can learn what can in fact, create positive impact in your life.
The same applies no matter your age. Formal education built a strong foundation, but the experiences I went through built up substantial life skills for me. In the real world, we learn from experimenting, from discovery. Sometimes it’s necessary to discover what is not right to do, not practical, not productive. Some may see that as failing, but I see that as a process of activity or experimentation; it leads to knowing how to go on to improve and eventually succeed.
I am a student of a school no one ever fully graduates from: The School of Hard Knocks. I have encountered many failures in my life. But failure is an essential part of the process. If I never failed, I would not – could not – be a success. The setbacks along my journey to success forced me to try different options, different avenues in life – and ultimately I figured out better ways to do things.
Don’t be afraid of failure. Many successful entrepreneurs we admire have encountered more failures than we can imagine. Failure is not a taboo. Failure can, if you are conscious enough, be your friend. It should not be an enemy to fear. In the real world, each failure is a learning opportunity, a step towards being successful in whatever you’re trying to achieve.
Kenneth Kam