Yes we have all failed at some points or other. I was just failing an hour ago, trying to choose a topic to write on. Failure is inevitable and if you’re not failing enough then you aren’t progressing.

But failure means temporarily surrendering to the intangible powers that govern our cosmos. Surrender is not easily accepted by the human psyche. It dents your ego. As a result your attempts are minimal. The first failure and the activity or task is struck of your list. At the max, you would do it thrice but then your ego will get in between.

If we allow ourselves to accept failure, not defeat, and retry with a renewed vigor, we stand a better probability of succeeding than the last attempt. Here are six ways in which you can satisfy your ego when you fail. This will help you persevere for longer, and enhance your digestion for failures.

1. Be grateful that you have the opportunity to try– When we fail, there are a very few things which escape our mass cursing. We overlook the fact that we are in good mental and physical health to be able to pursue the task we fail at. We fail to see the other worse consequences of our failure. We fail to respect the opportunity to have at least tried, and that, other than some mental resistance, we are blessed with an opportunity to retry.

The best way of finding gratitude in any situation is to go for a walk in your neighborhood. Once you see that you are better off than many others, people born with disabilities, the ones born in poverty, the ones working harder than you ever have, you will automatically feel fortunate and your disappointment would appear negligible.

2. Dream + Effort = Success + Lessons – We have dreams, we put in effort and we aim at achieving success but overlook the lessons we learn with each attempt. Dreaming and putting in some effort guarantees some success and lessons (these lessons are more in case of a failure). The fact that you are trying makes you more successful than all the people who are busy eating popcorns and watching TV. Both success and failure teach you lessons, you either learn to live like a champion(being humble, keep improving, help someone else) or you learn how to redirect your energy to become one.

3. Helping others learn– Some don’t try in fear of making mistakes, others repeat the same mistakes without learning from them, some do learn from their mistakes, but the smartest ones learn from other peoples mistakes. So when you fail, you not only learn about your own mistakes, you teach all the smart observes what not to do. Hence serving an altruistic cause.

4. Success becomes sweeter– The harder you have to struggle, the sweeter success will taste. Many a celebrity, artist, sportsperson were successful because of  genetic gifts. They dint try too hard but succeeded. As a result they dint value their success which led to a swift downfall, leading to addictions, depression and death. If you fail many times before achieving success, you not only value it more but know what it is worth. Sustaining the success becomes easier.

5. Not just bouncing back, pouncing back– Every time you fail, you learn something new. Repetitive, but yes it is so true. It is not only related to the current task that you do, but the lessons you learn increase your determination for everything you pursue.

If you get over failure just this one time, you will handle fear better in your next endeavor. The lesson is not limited to the current quest, but it will stay with you forever, make you resilient, aiding you in everything that you attempt to achieve.

Failure should not make you quit, it should make you attack with a renewed vigor.

6. Stories to tell– If it was very simply to succeed then we would have boring lives. Our failures make our lives interesting and at times comical. Here is an example.

So I wanted to do a handstand some days back, and…I did it.

How drab and boring is that . Compare that with.

I wanted to do the handstand some days back. I was so pathetic initially that I couldn’t get myself off the ground. I tried and tried and the day that I finally got my feet in the air, I fell so hard that I developed an extra knee on my bumm. Everyone laughed like they were Frank Medrano, and even Frank knows how it is to fail. The next time I dint realize I was next to the treadmill. I held on for 2 seconds but then tumbled over on the treadmill which had someone running on it. I tripped the poor guy and both of us were lying in a heap at the edge of the treadmill. I was banned from practicing near the treadmills. I dint give up. I researched and practiced and finally….

my treadmill ban was lifted.

Try,Try until you fail and then try again

Cowards never try, weak never finish, the rest are successful.

When you show strength in your own purpose by never accepting failure, you not only improve your own lives but also help in inspiring others, who are struggling to succeed. Try to enjoy failing, the destination is only as good as the path that leads to it. I prefer a path laced with failures than an empty road, you not only learn more lessons but also get more stories to tell.

When you fail, don’t complain, just gather your wits and try again,

and when you feel you cant handle the strain, just pop the smile pill to curb your pain.

 

You only really fail when you stop trying. Have a good day.