CONCEPT OF FAILURE

FAILURE:

Failure can be defined as the state or condition of not achieving a desirable or intended objective; it can be considered the opposite of success. Failure is just a state of mind. You are a failure only if you think that you failed. Your attitude towards a certain situation determines whether or not you have failed.

The fact is that everyone fails in something or the other at some point in their lives. It is easy to think negatively when it seems that everything that you do is not good enough.

Look at the following failures and come to a conclusion yourself:

1. Only 400 Cokes were sold in its first year of production.

2. Albert Einstein’s Ph.D dissertation was rejected.

3. Henry Ford had two bankruptcies before his famous success.

4. Thomas Alva Edison, the inventor of the electric bulb failed no less than 10000 times before succeeding. But he said “I have not failed. I have just found 10000 ways that won’t work." 

Disappointments, Rejections, Unsuccessful attempts were not failures to the successful people. They used them as stepping stones to success. This is the difference between people who win and people who don’t. Failure is not the lack of success.

People are looking only the successes of others. They are not seeing the struggles, frustrations and

disappointments they faced. Ralph Waldo Emerson who was a successful American essayist, lecturer and poet told “Men succeed when they realise that their failures are the preparation for their victories”

Successful people don’t blame others for what has happened to them and they don’t use other people’s definitions for success and failure. They use their own. They just change paths, re- assess goals, try something new or adjust direction. To them, failure happens when they stop trying to achieve their

personal best.

CAUSES OF FAILURE:

The following factors can be considered as causes of failure. The most common failure-causing problems and their solutions:

1. Lack of Persistence:

More people fail not because they lack knowledge or talent but because they just quit. It’s important to remember two words: persistence and resistance. Persist in what must be done and resist what ought not to be done. Try new approaches. Persistence is important, but repeating the same actions over and over again, hoping that this time you'll succeed, probably won’t get you any closer to your objective. Look at your previous unsuccessful efforts and decide what to change. Keep making adjustments and midcourse

corrections, using your experience as a guide.

2. Lack of Conviction:

People who lack conviction take the middle of the road. But what happens in the middle of the road? You get run over. People without conviction go along to get along because they lack confidence and

courage. They conform in order to get accepted, even when they know that what they are doing is wrong. Decide what is important to you. If something is worth doing, it’s worth doing right and doing

well. Let your passion show even in mundane tasks. It’s OK to collaborate and cooperate for success, but it’s not OK to compromise your values—ever.

3. Rationalization:

Winners might analyze, but they never rationalize. Losers rationalize and have a book full of excuses to tell you why they couldn’t succeed. Change your perspective. Don’t think of every unsuccessful attempt as a failure. Few people succeed at everything the first time. Most of us attain our goals only through repeated effort. Do your best to learn everything you can about what happened and why.

4. Dismissal of Past Mistakes:

Some people live and learn, and some only live. Failure is a teacher if we have the right attitude. Wise people learn from their mistakes—experience is the name they give to slipups. Define the problem better. Analyze the situation—what you want to achieve, what your strategy is, why it didn’t work. Are you really viewing the problem correctly? If you need money, you have more options than increasing revenue. You could also cut expenses. Think about what you’re really trying to do.

5. Lack of Discipline:

Anyone who has accomplished anything worthwhile has never done it without discipline. Discipline takes self-control, sacrifice and avoiding distractions and temptations. It means staying focused. Don’t be a perfectionist. You might have an idealized vision of what success will look and feel like. Although that can be motivational, it might not be realistic. Succeeding at one goal won’t eliminate all your problems. Be clear on what will satisfy your objectives and don’t obsess about superficial details.

6. Poor Self-Esteem:

Poor self-esteem is a lack of self-respect and self-worth. People with low self-confidence are constantly trying to find themselves rather than creating the person they want to be. Don’t label yourself. You might have failed, but you’re not a failure until you stop trying. Think of yourself as someone still striving toward a goal, and you’ll be better able to maintain your patience and perseverance for the long haul.

7. Fatalistic Attitude:

A fatalistic attitude prevents people from accepting responsibility for their position in life. They attribute success and failure to luck. They resign themselves to their fate, regardless of their efforts, that

whatever has to happen will happen anyway.

Look in the mirror every day and say, I am in charge. You might not have control over every phase of your life, but you have more control than you realize, and you are responsible for your own happiness and success. Your attitude determines your altitude, and you can turn “down” into “up”.

Activity:

Elaborate how failures are stepping stones to success?