WHAT?
A broken relationship, a poor grade on a project or exam, a lost job or collapsed business venture, an athletic trouncing – there are a million ways to fail. If you happen to find yourself on the losing end of a situation, there is just one thing to say: Congratulations! Whether you're responsible for a small defeat or a major flop, you're in the right place and in a good company and above all, you can recover.
Beethoven, Einstein, Edison, General Douglas MacArthur, Michael Jordan, Colonel Sanders, and Clint Eastwood are just a few of many successful failures who overcame early disappointment and scorn to accomplish great things.
You can bounce back if you don't let yourself sink into frustration or despair, says Lybi Ma in the Psychology Today article "Down But Not Out", and if you remember that "A lot of good can come out of a big disappointment." Ma quotes Terri Needles (PhD), who recommends accepting the setback and the fact that you may never completely know all the reasons for it, facing your fears, and patiently thinking about your next steps.
Writing for Ebony, Walter Leavey talks about Facing Your Fear of Failure. "There's nothing wrong with a bit of failure," he says, "as long as you're not overwhelmed…or paralyzed by it." And Lee Anna Jackson's advice for rebounding from career mistakes, her Black Enterprise article “Looking at It Another Way" sets the stage for success in many areas.
Don't waste time regretting the past, she advises. Instead, make a list of things that tripped you up and challenge them.
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