7 Ways to Turn Failure into Fuel.

“I haven’t failed. I’ve just found 10,000 ways that won’t work.” – Thomas Edison
Thomas Edison famously failed over 10,000 times before he was able to successfully invent a light bulb. He welcomed this failure with joy, because he knew that the knowledge of what didn’t work would only bring him closer to finding a way it did.
So why is it, then, that we expect to become successful overnight?
Society glorifies success but rarely mentions the amount of blood, sweat and tears that go into it. All men and women of greatness have had to work hard, deal with setbacks and failures. Ignoring the hard work leads people to be fearful of failure, sometimes quitting before they have begun.
We shouldn’t let our failures hold us back; instead we should reframe our failures to become fuel until we hit our own goals. Here are the 7 ways you can turn your failures into positives.

Expect It and Reframe It

No matter who you are, failure is bound to happen at some point in your life. Even though we may try our best, it doesn’t always equal out to success. Failure is an essential element in order to move forward and closer to your goals. Don’t be cautious because you are afraid of failing. Embrace something new! Be bold and adventurous as you try and accomplish something outside of your comfort zone. It’s okay to fail and it only means that you are growing as a person. Think of failure as experimentation on the path to success. Fear is not a component.

How Are You Responsible for it?

In every failure there is a lesson to be learned about you. What was your role in this failure? Take a huge step back and ask yourself some tough questions. Were you present in the moment? Did you not give it your all? Were you waiting for someone else to take initiative? How could you have contributed more? By analysing how your actions affected the outcome, you will be in a better position to achieve success. You must be willing to call yourself out when you are at fault. The most important part of this step is being honest and open.

Find the Lesson

Failures are lessons just waiting to be understood. When something goes wrong, simply ask yourself what you can learn from it. Taking time to reflect on your failures will help you move forward and also lessen your chances of repeating the same mistake. The lesson might not always be presented to you right away. It may take time to fully grasp and understand how you can apply this lesson the next time you’re in a similar situation. It’s important to say in a learning mindset, though, so that frustration stays to a minimum. Try and take a step back and look at the bigger picture until you feel you have more knowledge from your failure.

Add Fuel to the Flame

Setbacks can be turned into motivation and be your driving force in moving closer to what will work in your life. Don’t be afraid to try a different route or put more of yourself into it. While you might be frustrated, use that as motivation to show up fully and commit to your goals. By being your best you will be able to be more successful. Take your negative emotions and turn them into something good! By adding “fuel to the flame” you will have directed your energy towards something positive. Remember to smile and have fun with each task you take on, even if you think it will result in a failure.

Release and Receive

While it’s important to learn from your failures, it is also vital to learn when to let them go. In order to create room in our lives for the things that do work we need to release the things that do not work (our failures). Don’t stay stuck on what didn’t work for too long. Move forward and make a path for what will work for you. It’s important to not let yourself get down. Cut yourself a break! Again, everyone makes mistakes, and as long as you move forward and learn from them you can be successful.

Get Honest Feedback and Apply It

Do you have someone you can rely on for honest feedback and criticism? Find someone you can put in your corner who will support you while also being honest and open about your failures. Having a partner who can let you know what you can do better and point out things you might have missed will help you to be more successful. Two pairs of eyes are always better than one! Once you know what your blind spots are, you can apply the new advice in your next experiment. Have them hold you accountable as you continue to try and reach your goals.

Better Your Best

Once you reach your goal, what do you do? Keep going! Sticking to your last success can become the ultimate failure when you become too comfortable. It’s always necessary to push yourself for a new record, benchmark or a new “top.” Continue to learn more about yourself and step outside of your comfort zone. Challenge yourself to keep your drive and passion alive! Knowing you accomplished a major goal will help to motivate you to try things you never thought could be possible. What is something that you wanted to achieve but always thought was unobtainable? Go for it now. Once you know you can become successful after failure, you will be more motivated than ever to reach for the stars.

Focus on Your Goals

The next time you find yourself failing, know that it is a part of life and everyone goes through similar struggles. Reshaping how you look at failure will provide you with the tools necessary to accomplish your goals. By turning your failures into fuel you can move forward to become better, stronger and wiser. For more ways to change your life for the better, read the book “50 Ways to Yay” by Alexi Panos.

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