Failing Forward

Turning Mistake into Stepping Stones for Success

 

First and foremost, this post is all about the lessons I've learned and the most significant words from the Book "Failing Forward" by John C. Maxwell. these are the encouraging  words/sayings of the well known people and the author himself as well that inspires me a lot. it taught me a new definition of Failure and how can i use my own failures and mistakes into stepping stones for success. that is simply, to Fail Forward. 

Another reason why I'm sharing this with you because i recently encounter a failure. At first, I'm asking God why I'm prone to failures, when I'm doing my best to achieve things. Why failure seems like part of every step i take?  Why it's hard to accept failures? Why others achieved and me, failed? if i failed, does it makes me a failure or a loser? Am i not that good enough that's why i failed? Those questions keeps knocking my head every time i meet failures or mistakes. 






I know i have weaknesses that's why i fail in some areas of life but that doesn't mean I'm not good. Failure is not the basis of whether the person is good or not. I also remember the time during school days, students were taught that Failure is a percentage. when you get 75% and above  means passing/success while 74% below means failed. If we continue that kind of thinking, it will not help us. as John Maxwell says, "Failure isn't a percentage or a test. it's not a single event. it's a process". 


I've been into many failures and I've done a lot of mistakes, and it taught me that God will not allow failures to just happen. He wants me to learn from those failures and mistakes and take that as a challenge to do my best next time. another lessons i got from this book, "if you're a human being, you're going to make mistakes." and  "there is no achievement without failure." 


I'd like to share this two list also from the same book  "Your First Step to Failing Forward." This is how any achiever approaches negative experiences, we can learn a lot from these list how to fail forward. You can also determine which one describes you attitude towards failure.


Failing Backward                                                     Failing Forward


Blaming others                                                         Taking responsibility
Repeating the same mistakes                                 Learning from each mistake
Expecting never to fail again                                   Knowing failure is a part of progress
Expecting to continually fail                                    Maintaining positive attitude
Accepting Tradition blindly                                     Challenging outdated assumptions
Being limited by past mistakes                               Taking new risks
Thinking I am a failure                                             Believing something didn't work
Quitting                                                                       Persevering




Let's choose Failing Forward instead of failing backward. If we are willing to do what are listed in Failing Forward, i guarantee that we'll be able to handle failure no matter hard it is. 


Here are some inspirational words/quotes from the book:

"Failure is an inside job.  So is success.  If you want to achieve, you have to win the war in your thinking first.  You can't let the failure outside you get inside you." 

"Ninety percent of all those who fail are not actually defeated. They simply quit." -Paul J. Meyer

"One of the greatest problems people have with failure is that they are too quick to judge isolated situations in their lives and label them as failures.  Instead, they need to keep the bigger picture in mind."

"Our business in life is not to get ahead of others, but to get ahead of ourselves-to break our own records, to outstrip our yesterday by our today."  -Stewart B. Johnson.

"If you always do what you've always done, then you will always get what you've always gotten."

"If your perception of and response to failure were changed, what would you attempt to achieve?"

"Errors become mistakes when we perceive them and respond to them incorrectly. Mistakes become failures when we continually respond to them incorrectly." 

"Failing forward" is the ability to get back up after you've been knocked down, learn from your mistake, and move forward in a better direction."

"Don't buy into the notion that mistakes can somehow be avoided. They can't be."

"Failure is not a one-time event; it's how you deal with life along the way. Until you breathe your last breath, you're still in the process, and there is still time to turn things around for the better."

"You are the only person who can label what you do a failure. Failure is subjective."

"Generally speaking, there are two kinds of learning: experience, which is gained from your own mistakes, and wisdom, which is learned from the mistakes of others."

"Seek advice, but make sure it's from someone who has successfully handled mistakes or adversities."

"When to quit: (1) Quit something you don't do well to start something you do well. (2)  Quit something you're not passionate about to do something that fills you with passion. (3) Quit something that doesn't make a difference to do something that does." 

"all great achievers are given multiple reasons to believe they are failures. But in spite of that they persevere." 

"...[people] allow failure to get the better of them emotionally, and it stops them from achieving their dreams.  ...Failure can be very painful--sometimes physically and more often emotionally.  Seeing part of your vision fall flat really hurts. And if people heap ridicule on top of your hurt feelings, you feel even worse.  The first important step in weathering failure is learning not to personalize it -- making sure you know that your failure does not make you a failure.   ...For many people the pain of failure leads to fear of failure.  ...That's when many people get stuck in the fear cycle.  And if fear overcomes you, it's almost impossible to fail forward."  

Failing Forward book helps and inspires me to really pursue my dreams and don't let failure become hindrance in achieving those. 


Most of all, Thanks be to God for always teaching and guiding me every step of the way. I always believe that during the most difficult times of my life, He's the one i can lean on to. He always wants the best for me. His plans are perfect than mine. and His grace is enough for me. 




Have Blessed day, folks!