Rebounding From Failure

Rebounding from failure is such an important skill. So I want you to think about failure and what is it about failure that we dread so much? It’s not necessarily failure itself, but it’s what we make failure mean. We hate to encounter failure because we internalize it and we make it mean something about us.

We make it mean that we aren’t good enough or that we aren’t meant to do this. And quite frankly, we live in a not good enough society where it’s never good enough. We’re never pretty enough smart enough. Successful enough.

The six steps to help you successfully rebound from Failure are: 

1- Manage your thoughts.

You get to choose what thoughts stay and which ones to let go of. You can utilize this experience for your own good by being intentional about which thoughts you permit to stay.

2- Make space for the emotion.

There will always be negative emotion when encountering a failure, make space for it and process through it.

3- Be kind and exercise self compassion.

Be kind to yourself! You are not the first person to fail at something and you certainly won’t be the last. Use self-compassion to help you work through the process.

4- Appreciate and acknowledge what went well. 

By recognizing what went well, you are able to rebound faster and see that there are always things you can be proud of- even if it is simply the effort you put in.

5- Find something useful from the experience.

Ask yourself, “How can I grow from this experience?” and then make a commitment to put that learning experience to good use. There is always something to be learned when we fail.

6- Stand in your virtues and your values. 

How can this experience help you become who you want to be? What values/virtues can you use to overcome this setback? Is it persistence, courage, adaptability, creativity or personal growth? Let your values be your guide and stand in them confidently.

And that is how you rebound from failure – Successfully!