Lately, I have been embracing the new. New workouts. New ideas. New opportunities.
With every new step comes the opportunity for failure.
Let’s just say, I have been dealing with quite a few setbacks and a few failures, too. You know those moments when technology crashes, and you lose all of your work. Moments when you realize you will not complete your class on time, so you may not graduate when you planned. It could be the moment the new product you made doesn’t quite look the way it should, so now you have to push back your timeline. Maybe it’s starting the new workout only to get sick realizing you have to start back over.
Anytime we choose to step out to do something new, failure is always a risk.
Fear of failure can hit the deep parts of us, revealing some lingering fears, doubts, and emotions. We find ourselves dealing with our feelings of fear, rejection, and control. Pressure starts to rise — and frustration increases. Maybe you even think about quitting, shrinking back into the familiar.
Just as those emotions flood your body, negative thoughts might run rampant in your mind.
You will never make it.
God didn’t give this assignment to you.
You are not good enough.
What made you think you could change?
Oh, I have been there, and I have been walking through feelings of wanting to quit lately. As much as these thoughts pop up and my emotions want to dictate my actions, setbacks are temporary spaces meant to teach us not stagnant places for us to live. Delays are opportunities to strengthen our focus and our faith for the weight of the assignment ahead of us.
Right now you may feel like you want to quit—DON’T. We all face failures, but we each must decide what to do next. You can learn from your failure. You can turn your setback into a springboard for a comeback in three easy steps.
Lesson from failure #1: Learn the lesson
“How many times do I have to go through this?”
I asked myself while contemplating wanting to throw my computer across the room after struggling to figure out how to make updates to my website. I cannot tell you how many times this one question had popped up in my head when what I was working on flopped. I put so much time into a project, only for it to not go the way I planned. It feels like wasted time, wasted resources, and a big failure. I can choose to focus on the failure or I can focus on the lesson. Learning from our setback is a crucial piece to launching us forward to our comeback.
Failures can easily take you off course or can reveal your true course. The difference between the distraction and the revelation is if you are willing to learn from your experience. When we allow ourselves to get caught up in the blame game, we learn NOTHING from our failures which often cause us to endure them AGAIN.
Take time to step back and reflect on your failure.
Journal prompts:
- Why do you consider this a failure?
- What parts went well for you?
- What was within your control?
- What was outside your control?
- What inner voice influence your viewpoint?
This reflective process allows you to have an unbiased view of your experience, you begin planning the next step that will be a part of your comeback.
Lesson from failure #2: Reframe your mindset
One of the most challenging aspects of experiencing a setback is separating who you are from what you experience.
For example, if you didn’t sell any of your products after launching your business, you might think you are not smart enough to run a business. If you don’t get the promotion after working hard for a few years, you might have thought you are not good enough to lead. If you stepped out to date again, but the relationship did not work out, you might start to think you are hard to love. Those negative thoughts lingering in your mind do not belong.
Your worth and your identity are NOT determined by your failure.
Surround yourself with daily affirmations of WHO you are. Write them on your mirror. Create a screenshot on your phone. Identify scriptures of who Christ says you are. Equipping ourselves with the truth of who we are will be your weapon when unhealthy thoughts pop up in your hard seasons.
You are brave, bold, capable of doing hard things. God directs your steps and has created a seat at His table just for you.
Lesson from failure #3: Get ready for the comeback
Once you have learned from your failure and you have reframed your mindset; it’s time for you to prepare for your comeback.
Stepping out of your comfort zone, it’s time to put your setback behind you. You have gained wisdom. You have the resources. You have the grit. Now is the time.
- Let your speech mirror your comeback. Use words that speak life over where you are going.
- Let your walk display your confidence. You know what you are doing and your have wisdom to apply what you have learned.
- Celebrate your progress. You know where you have come from, so be sure to celebrate every single step along the way.
Comebacks are sweet. They remind us how far we have come and the joy in knowing your setback didn’t crush you. You were down temporarily, but you decided to rise to come back. Fix your smile. Pick your head up. You have work to do!
Failures in life can easily take you off course or can reveal your true course. The choice is yours. Remember, your setback can become the springboard for your greatest comeback. Take time to learn from the experience, remember your purpose, and reframe your mindset to help you get back on track. Some of the greatest minds, entrepreneurs, artists, and athletes experience failure way before they ever succeeded. They only decided to get back up, will you? Failure is NOT an option.
Cheering you on,
