Failing is a natural part of life that can help you recognize weaknesses and course-correct when needed. Instead of shying away from failing, professionals should use it as a catalyst to help refocus their energy to where it needs to go.
It’s not very easy to do, though. Failing horribly or often enough can burn a memory into your mind like a searing hot poker into the eye.
I can probably go on and on about the times I’ve failed in life, work and everything in between. Too often people are afraid of failing. I want to change that mindset today. I want to help you understand that failing is not something to avoid.
In fact, it should be embraced.
I think it’s OK to fail as long as you come out better because of it. If you learned something valuable that will make you more likely to succeed in the future, then congratulations, because you just got away with failing.
First let me explain what failing is and what it isn’t.
Working hard and coming up short on a project? That is failing.
Slacking off and acting surprised that the project came up short? That’s not failing; that’s laziness.
Trying something new and taking action even when it doesn’t work out? That is failing.
Having a million ideas and never starting any of them? That’ not failing; that’s inaction.
Working as a team, doing your part and motivating others even after you find out a goal won’t be hit? That is failing.
Blaming others, not doing your part and missing a goal? That’s not failing; that’s entitlement.
An Example of When I Failed and Got Away With It
Let me give you an example from my own life that I will never forget — a time when failing caused me to do a course correction that forever changed my life.
When I first started martial arts, I thought I was pretty good. I was young (about 16 years old), athletic, flexible, smart and could imagine myself taking on Chuck Norris himself in a one-on-one deathmatch.
When my first rank testing came along, which would allow me to move from the paltry white belt to the ultimate first step, orange belt, I felt confident in my abilities. I had worked hard to perfect my kicks, blocks and all-important punch. I practiced those moves so much I considered myself an expert in each one.
The problem was that I hadn’t practiced them together, or more importantly, in the order that my form required.
I kid you not, there are 18 steps to the white belt form. I blanked at move #9. I stood there, unable to remember #10 in front of a crowd of dozens of strangers, my instructors and, worst of all, myself, staring face-to-face with me in the mirror.
The American Taekwondo Association white belt form is 18 moves following a linear fashion — literally a straight line. You’re suppose to finish in the same place you started. As easy as it gets.
But with all the time and energy I had spent practicing my moves, I failed miserably.
Given how many teenagers are when trying something new, you would have thought that would be it. I would have left the testing, gone home, made some excuse to not go to practice anymore and moved on with my life, forever stuck in the low ranks of taekwondo.
Well, that’s not what happened. Instead, that embarrassment lit a fire under me that fueled a successful stint in the martial arts industry. I was head instructor, state champion, a world-champion competitor and well-regarded with my peers and students. I seriously considered opening my own studio. Had I not moved away for UCLA, I have no doubt in my mind that story would have continued.
That first failure forever changed the way I looked at perfecting a skill. I no longer focused on the one event (a kick or punch), but strove to understand why I was doing it and how that one piece fit into the overall puzzle.
I didn’t let it get me down. I didn’t let it force me to quit.
I got away with failing.
How to Fail at Anything
That failure story isn’t the only one I have. It’s one of the earliest I can remember and conceptualize, though. And it’s a great example that helped me realize there are four steps involved in failing at anything and getting away with it:
- Do it early.
- Accept what happened.
- Understand why you failed.
- Figure out how to not fail the same way again.
1. Do It Early
What makes the story above bearable is that I was only 16 and a white belt.
I understand that a vast majority of the people reading this are probably not 16 years old. But when you first start out at something, you are most definitely a white belt.
It’s better to fail early in the endeavor so you can course-correct before you go too far in the wrong direction.
2. Accept What Happened
Failing is not the time to blame others. If you were a part of the team, then you were part of the problem.
Accept that this time around, whatever it is that you did didn’t work. Accept that you need to change something.
It doesn’t matter if you change the whole plan or a minute detail of it; accepting that you need to change something is how you get closer to not failing again. (Tweet this thought.)
3. Understand Why You Failed
It’s not only important to accept that you failed and need a course-correction; it’s also important to understand why you failed.
In my testing, I realized that it wasn’t my technique that was wrong; it was my execution. I focused too much on kicking high when I should have focused on the move before (setting up) and the move after (follow-through). This would have made it much easier for me to remember the form in its entirety without sacrificing technique.
In your sales career, do you focus too much on your cold-calling scripts when you should be focusing on better qualifying your leads?
In your last interview, did you interview well but have horrible follow up?
Having a clear understanding of why you failed will help you avoid doing it again later on.
4. Figure Out How to Not Fail the Same Way Again
The key point I want to make here is that it’s still okay to fail. It is not okay to fail the same way twice.
Thomas Edison and Joseph Swan failed many, many, many times before they “perfected” the incandescent light bulb. But they didn’t fail the same way twice. They tried different methods and different materials until they found one that worked to their satisfaction.
After I was awarded my orange belt, I completely changed the way I practiced. I did my form alone, in groups, in class, as a whole, split it up into chunks; I did it backward and in my mind.
There were times even as a black belt that I messed up a move here or there. But it was never because I failed to practice the form or move.
Go Out and Fail at Something
I can’t stress enough the importance of failing and learning from that failure. Too often we are petrified at the thought of failure.
I promise that inaction is worse than any failure as long as you put in a solid effort.
So, what will you fail at and get away with today?
This post originally appeared on the Sales Pro Blog.
Image: Flickr
