Failing Forward

No, that’s not a typo. Failing forward is a way to turn mistakes into opportunities for success. Ah, mistakes. We all make them. We wish we could completely avoid them, which would of course make us perfect. Or, having experienced failure, we give up because we equate failing at something with being a failure. We can judge ourselves so harshly that we swear we’ll never again risk, never try, never dare.

What if we could change our perception of and response to failure? Many famous and distinguished people in the arts, sciences, business and sports have failed – sometimes spectacularly so, on their path to achievement.

John Maxwell is an American expert on leadership and author of “Failing Forward” who says that the major difference between achieving people and average people is their ability to move beyond failure and use it as a lesson and a stepping-stone. With the right attitude, positive benefits can come from negative experiences. When we realize that the task or goal is not “us”, we can look at failure as a way to learn what went wrong and what not to repeat. By depersonalizing the experience (we are not “failures” just because we failed at something) we minimize and overcome fear. And, without fear – we can take action again!

Here are some great ideas for learning to fail forward from author Marilyn J. Tellez, MA:
1. Failing forward is really about achievement as a series of trial and error opportunities.
2. You, as a person, are not a failure. Failure is a state of mind.
3. You are not a victim. Take responsibility for what you can control and put yourself into a position of power. (And what you can control is yourself – DCM)
4. You can control how you let a trauma affect you. (I would say, you can “choose how you let a trauma affect you” – DCM)
5. The present is the only place real opportunity exists and where you can take action.
6. Letting go of limiting beliefs may be hard on the ego, but your ability to move forward will increase dramatically.
7. When you have a vision, you have a view that puts failure in its proper perspective.
8. There is always uncertainty when you try something new.
9. You can't make significant progress by doing it all yourself. Let your environment and network do some of the work.
10. Often, the only difference between success and failure is simple persistence.
11. Knowing when to let go and try something else is important. Failing forward is about getting up and moving on. (And what you do once you get up – which is not repeat the same mistakes! - DCM)

So here’s to failing and falling, learning and growing, going forward and succeeding in the New Year!


Love and peace,
Dona

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