We Learn More From Our Failures Than We Do From Success - It's Okay To Lose

On this rocky road we call life, sometimes we win and sometimes things don't turn out exactly how we would have preferred. We tend to view our failures as a stigma. At least that's the typical human thought pattern when situations don't go our way.

The Tendency Is To Hide Our Shortcomings Instead Of Leveraging Them To Our Advantage

 
One of the best stories I have about leveraging a weak spot follows a rather rough patch in my own life. I had been out of work for some time back when I was putting down the bottle, so to speak. The career path I was treading down came to an abrupt end when the company I worked for told me they no longer needed my employment services.

It took some time in recovery to build both my body and mind back to a respectable state, but my self-esteem as far as employment was concerned still suffered. I was able to find some part-time work but my family needed more. After turning in applications to a few different retail locations, one called me up for an interview.

 
The position I had applied for wasn't very high paying, but it wasn't at the starting level either. It wasn't a management spot though it was a department head and so brought a little better wage offering. I was nervous about the interview, mostly due to the fact I didn't know how to explain my period of unemployment.

I Decided To Turn The Truth Of A Difficult Life Experience Into A Strength

 
This took some time and it required a complete change in my own perception, or it wouldn't have been effective. Not only did I have to think that everything I had been through was a lesson. I had to believe it and that meant I had to learn it. Before I ever stepped foot into that room with the District Manager to interview, I had done more to prepare than I gave myself credit for.

The point is that I crushed that interview, but don't get too excited for me. I leveraged my past mistakes (without going into too much detail) by explaining that I had come through some tough life lessons. I had and I meant every word I said. If you think a leader admires success, a true leader holds success after failure in even higher regard. It demonstrates the ability to keep on trying. To not so easily give up when the chips are down.

 
After the interview, I ended up being offered a management position instead of the department head role I had applied for. I took the job and did quite well with that company for almost three years. For several months before my eventual departure, I took over the role of General Manager. Running a holiday-themed retail store during the holidays put my nerves on edge for sure, but what a resume builder that kind of position is!!! I made mistakes in the end and was asked to resign, but I'm all the smarter from the experience now.

Keep On Failing, Just Don't Get Stuck

 
Even if you do get stuck, just stop digging. It's always okay to fail as long as we don't sit too long in our own shit. That's called digging and I've done it for chunks of years in my past. It just simply won't do. If you stop digging you might still be in a ditch, but you have the same chance as did the farmer's horse.

I'll end with the story of the farmer's horse who walked right into a ditch. The horse couldn't get out on his own accord due to the steep walls of the hole he had fallen into. After several rescue attempts by the farmer and many of the neighbors who came to help out, it was deemed impossible to pull the poor horse out.

With no way to pull the horse out or for the horse to climb out of the ditch himself, there was only one thing left for the farmer to do. He made the difficult decision that it was time to fill in the ditch, burying the destitute animal. But the horse had other ideas when the dirt started raining down.

 
It didn't take more than an hour or two for the dust to settle, the work all finished. Lo and behold! There was the horse standing once again on level ground. All it took was a good packing from four stomping hooves while others were trying to bury him alive. They didn't know it, but they had inadvertently given the horse the opportunity he needed.

Don't Be Afraid To Fail - When The Chips Are Down Stop Digging & Start Stomping!!!

All Images Courtesy Of Pixabay.com

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