by Dr. S.S. Dhillon

Created on: June 08, 2008   Last Updated: February 24, 2010

How to Cope with Failure!

Some people never explore their full potential, because they are afraid of failure. Remember an important saying, "It is not a crime to fail, the sin is to have a low aim." No one can beat the laws of chance and win all the time. This is a fact of life. But when some people fail, they sink into a state of 'learned helplessness', in which they lose their ability to believe that they will ever master the situation. People with a keen sense of failure also tend to judge situations as more important to their own self-esteem than they really are. And, unfortunately, they are often afraid to ask others for help or favors, so they do not make the most of the resources available. Remember that it is not whether you fail that determines your success, but how you cope with failure.

If your responses are not resolving your difficulties, then change your response. It is only you who can improve your own performance. You cannot keep blaming past events or other people for your current poor performance. You may get a good deal of sympathy, but you will not achieve the results you want.

Remember these words of wisdom to handle failure:
1. Have a goal which you can hope to attain. If it is too high it will result in discouragement if you fail. When you succeed, then raise the standard, step by step. Dream big! But take millions of steps to reach there- the steps you can do!

2. We should not be afraid of failure and stay behind people to protect us. If we stay at a low level, we never experience falling down. Remember, we face failure only when we try for achievement.

3. Only those who dare to fail greatly can achieve greatly. -Robert F. Kennedy

4. Men succeed when they realize that their failures are the preparation for their victories. -Ralph Waldo Emerson

5. The brightest future will always be based on a forgotten past, you can't go on well in life until you let go of your past failures and heartaches.

6. Have a moderate approach to life. Be temperate in all things. Avoid extremes. Take a more detached view, neither over-elated by success nor depressed by failure.

7. Think before you act. A wrong thought can be rectified more quickly than a wrong action. When questioned, think and then reply: try not to jump to conclusions, have a positive attitude to everything you do or think about. Negative attitudes invite failure along with stress.

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