Failure sucks. Unfortunately, we all have to go through it in our lives. And the more gutsy things we do, the worse the failures will be.
If failure is inevitable, how should we respond properly to it? I’m convinced there are three things we should do with and through our failures.
1. Learn from failures.
Thomas Edison starts us out with this concept when he said, “I have not failed. I’ve just found 10,000 ways that won’t work.” You can learn what works and what doesn’t when you fail.
But more importantly, you can learn about yourself in failures. You can learn about your insecurities or what you do when you feel like you’re losing control. Once you understand your weaknesses, you can move forward better next time.
2. Teach others from your failures.
Your failure isn’t just for yourself. It’s for others also. Let people into your journey and help them become successful.
Just don’t squash someone’s dreams because you tried something and it didn’t work. You might not have been set up to succeed like they are. So teach where you can, and then encourage everywhere else.
3. Listen to God in failures.
Finally, God can lead you through your failures – even more failures. Let God teach you more about His own character and the way you fit into His plan. You might find out you were pursuing the wrong dreams, or you might find out that dream was just dropped into your head to get you where God wanted you. Maybe He wanted to teach you something special in a season. Maybe you needed to meet one person during an endeavor. Let God speak to you in your failures just as much as in your successes.
You just can’t let failures stop you.
Whatever you do, don’t let them stop you from trying again. Don’t let them define you. Don’t wallow in them. Move forward and keep trying.