“Success is not final, failure is not fatal; it’s the courage to continue that counts.” Winston Churchill
How powerful these words are – and how empowering! Finding the courage to keep going when we seem to have failed makes all the difference in whether we ultimately succeed or not. Here’s some helpful advice on bouncing back:
How to Respond to Failure
“F: Forget about your failures. Do not dwell on past mistakes.
A: Anticipate failure. Realize that we all make mistakes.
I: Intensity should be felt in all you do. Never be a failure for lack of effort.
L: Learn from your mistakes. Do not repeat previous errors.
U: Understood why you failed. Diagnose your mistakes so as not to repeat them.
R: Respond, do not react to errors. Responding corrects mistakes. Reacting magnifies them.
E: Elevate your self-concept. It’s okay to fail. Everyone does. Now, how are you going to deal with failure?”
— Steve Largent, U.S. Congressman
What a helpful approach to failure! In a nutshell, it gives us a bounce-back strategy:
Never let yourself fail due to lack of effort – don’t hold back.
When failure hits you, don’t fly off the handle; take some time to respond.
When failure comes your way, don’t fight it, but don’t dwell on it.
Learn from what’s happened – use it, mine it for gold.
Figure out a go-forward plan and set it in motion.
OK, now the next time failure rears its head, we have a fail-safe strategy. So let’s not fear failure, let’s see it as feedback. Let’s keep calm and write on.
