Try out the Failure Theme in the Thinkladder app here:
Have you ever failed an assessment for the third time in a row? Invested an enormous amount of resource into a venture that’s gone belly-up? Or maybe you’ve experienced the painful ending of a long-term relationship? Many of us know that horrible feeling – failure.
It’s a feeling that can sap our energy, leaving us depressed and hollow. Plus, there’s the shame that so often piggybacks on an already difficult situation. Failure gets us believing things about ourselves that aren’t true – that we’re incompetent and there’s no hope for us.
But the really good news, is that with some tweaks to our neural pathways, we can start to process our failures and detach them from our sense of self-worth. It’s even possible to get to the place where we can start to see our failures as one of life’s greatest teachers. The flip side of failure is its ability to bring us depths of understanding, empathy and growth that we could never have imagined possible!
Insights from the ‘Failure’ Theme
It is not the absence of failure, but the response to failure that determines success.
Practical tips for dealing with failure:
Acknowledge your emotions: It’s okay to feel disappointed when you experience failure. Allow yourself to process this emotion rather than push it away.
Practise self-compassion: Be compassionate to yourself in the face of failure. Treat yourself with the same kindness and understanding that you would offer to a friend in your shoes.
Treat failure as a learning experience: Take some time to reflect on what went wrong and why, without judgement. This can help you identify areas for improvement and develop a plan for next time.
Seek support: Reach out to friends, family, or a trusted professional for support. Having someone to talk to can help you process your feelings and gain perspective.
Keep trying: Remember that this is not a permanent state. Keep trying and don’t give up on your goals. With persistence and hard work, you can achieve success.
Use Thinkladder: Instead of viewing failure as a negative thing, try to reframe it as an opportunity for growth and learning. Think of failure as a step on the path to success, rather than as a dead-end. Thinkladder’s Insight Finder can help to guide you through this process.
Related topics: People Pleasing, Self-Worth, Anxiety & Comparing Myself To Others.