When you start a company, launch a new product, or take on a new job, you, of course, hope to succeed. But that’s not always the case. Next time you face failure, here’s how to make the most of it:
- Acknowledge sadness. It’s disappointing when your dreams don’t come to fruition. Take time to grieve. If you sublimate the sadness, you risk losing your passion and getting stuck.
- Jettison shame. Failure shouldn’t be a referendum on you. Pull shame out of the picture and label it as the waste that it is.
- Learn the right lesson. Experts say failure is the best teacher but you have to be more specific. Ask yourself: What valuable truth did I discover by failing?
Adapted from “Put Failure in Its Place” by Whitney Johnson.
