At one point in your life, hardships and failure will knock at your door. When that happens, you have two options:
- Let them in and allow them to take over you; or
- Let them in, do something about them, and walk away eventually with your head up high.
The obvious choice would be choice B, but there are many people who are struggling with getting out of the Failures Department and let these road bumps win. In case you get stuck in the world called “tough life,” here are some tips to help you overcome it:
Remember: You are not alone
Nelson Mandela spent 27 years in prison before he became a president of South Africa. J.K. Rowling’s Harry Potter manuscripts were sent to 12 different publishers before Bloomsbury decided to publish it. Bill Gates may be a college dropout, but worked his way to become one of the richest people in the world.
What does this mean? You are not the only one who experience failure. Even the richest, most successful people experienced rejection at some point in their lives. Somewhere out there, there is someone who is going through something, just like you and it’s okay. You are not alone in this journey.
Learn to accept failure
Failure will always be a part of human life. In fact, it is inevitable even in the tiniest things like not losing your targeted pounds or failing to beat the time in your last 21K run. Setbacks and failures may love to knock at your door, but keep in mind that these are not your final destination. Rather, these are just bumps that will help you become stronger and wiser as you go along the way.
It’s okay to cry or feel disappointed in case you experienced failures. Nobody is perfect and this is simply part of the process. Learn to embrace it because they will always be part of human life.
Let your frustration out
People cope differently. There are some who face the problem head on and come up with a solution to address it while there are others who prefer letting it pass before dealing with the issue at hand.
It doesn’t matter where you stand, but when it comes to overcoming hardship and failure, you need to have an outlet. This allows you to release all those frustrations out so you can better address your problem. It clears your head and helps you focus more, thereby allowing you to decide better.
Acknowledge your personal responsibility
Oftentimes, people look for a distraction or someone to blame when confronted by a difficult situation. In fact, you even refuse to confront yourself for what happened.
This is not the best way to go. Aside from accepting the fact that failure is and will always be part of the process, you also need to accept that you are responsible for what happened as well. In doing so, you will be able to learn from it, thereby minimizing the risk of failing.
Process your weakness, examine what went wrong, and come up with a solution to address the problem on why you failed. Do not dwell too much on the result, rather find out what went wrong and think of s solution for it.
For instance, learn to accept that the reason why you got into trouble that led to the destruction of property is because you drank too much. Acknowledge that and think of a solution to help you get out of it – such as hiring an attorney.
Don’t be afraid to ask for help
No matter how independent you are, you can’t do it alone all the time. Perhaps, it could be one of the reasons why you failed because you refused to ask for help and acknowledge the tips and strategies given to you.
It’s okay to ask for help. Doing so is not a sign of a weakness, rather a showcase of strength because you are willing to accept the fact that you do not know everything. If you are going through something, say depression or anxiety, then seek help.
Don’t forget to surround yourself with positive people as well. You will need lots of them I your life to remind you that life is good despite the setbacks and bumps along the way.
Two words: Fail forward
Life is tough and will constantly throw stones at you, but at the end of the day, it’s the things you learned from those failures will help you become a stronger person. You learn from those experiences and use them as your guide to make necessary adjustments until you succeed.
That is failing forward. It’s more than just rising after your fall. It’s also about gaining something from that fall and using it to your advantage.
Always remember that you can never stop hardships from coming into your life. It will constantly knock you down and make you feel you are not worthy, but how you decide to handle it will define you as a person. Don’t let these setbacks win. You are stronger and more capable than them.
Source: https://theselfimprovementblog.com/self-improvement/happiness/overcoming-hardship-and-failure/