7 Reasons Why I Liked Failing (and Why You Should Too) – Ever since I was a little girl, about 5 years old, I knew I was a leader.
I’d rally up my dolls and assign each of them a task to help me sell my make-believe homemade tea. I didn’t just assign them tasks; I’d ensured that each one understood their roles and what they needed to do to take good care of our customers.
By age 11, I had customers lining up at my door to get their hair braided for $20 a pop. Though I hadn’t quite figured out profit margins, I understood that if it took me 4 hours, I was making about $5 an hour, which at the time was double the minimum wage.
By the time I’d enrolled in college, I was a single mom destined to make a life for me and my baby girl. I was convinced that I had the potential to become an established leader and thriving entrepreneur. My talent needed time to fully blossom.
Time eventually came, and so did failures.
I wasn’t the type of person that took failure well. Though I never gave up (I couldn’t; I had another mouth to feed), I’d often allowed failure to define me. Then my monsters showed up. Fear, Worry, Doubt. So much so that I wrote about them in my book Don’t Look at the Monsters.
It seemed my every endeavor met with failure. Starting my first business, Saving Promise, a nonprofit, was like stepping into a boxing ring. Every failure, every blow, tested my resilience. But here’s the thing. In the 16 years since I founded Saving Promise, and later two other businesses, I can honestly say that had it not been for my failures, I would not be the leader, the entrepreneur, the woman I am today.
That is why when I titled this article: Why I Liked Failing, for me, it isn’t just a play on words to get you to read it (well, maybe a little :)… But seriously, failure has shaped my life, one that I’m deeply grateful for.
And that is why it’s incumbent upon me to share the 7 reasons why I liked failing and why I believe you should, too.
Let’s dive right in!
1. Developing Survival Skills:
Failure is harsh, and it’s real. It forced me to find a way to make it through the tough times, triggering my survival instinct. My struggles and failures taught me vital survival skills that were not just applicable to my personal life but also to my entrepreneurial journey. It was during these hard times that I learned to adapt, refocus on what’s essential and allow my failure to guide me through every rough patch.
2. Fostering Resilience:
Like a muscle, resilience is built and strengthened through continually being tested, through falling and getting back up. My resilience has allowed me to withstand the inevitable ups and downs that I experienced through every step of my journey.
3. Embracing Humility:
Failure has a unique way of grounding us. It strips away any false sense of superiority and puts us in our place. No matter how far we’ve come or what we’ve achieved, failure reminds us that we’re human, that we make mistakes and that there’s always room for growth. This humility grounded me and made me more approachable as a leader and instilled in me a lifelong passion for learning.
4. Sharpening Problem-Solving Skills:
When you fail, it presents a problem that you’re compelled to solve. Failure has made me a better problem solver, strategically thinking my way around obstacles and adapting to new challenges. It’s sharpened my ability to think critically, make critical decisions and find creative solutions.
5. Valuing Growth and Learning:
Failure has taught me that growth and learning are infinitely more valuable than immediate success. It has taught me the importance of looking past the immediate discomfort and focusing on the bigger picture — the experience gained and the knowledge acquired. It made me realize that failures are just stepping stones to eventual success.
6. Fostering Empathy:
Embracing failure has made me a more empathetic leader. As I navigated through my own failures, it made me more understanding of the struggles that others go through. This ability to deeply understand the experiences of others has contributed to shaping me into a compassionate leader who can inspire and motivate others by connecting on a very human level.
7. Fulfilling my Authentic Journey:
Lastly, embracing failure crafted an authentic journey for me. The setbacks and hardships enriched my story, making it real and relatable. They shaped me into a better entrepreneur, leader, and human. It showed me that success isn’t always a straight line; it’s a chaotic path filled with failures and lessons that lead to the woman, the leader and ultimately, the human I have become.
As we usher in the new year, know that the road ahead will bring its share of boulders – failures are a part of the journey. Instead of veering around them, I encourage you to embrace each one. View every stumble as a gift, a lesson draped in a cloak of hardship, or an unexpected blessing guiding your way forward.
So, here’s to a year of bold strides, graceful stumbles, and enlightening lessons. Cheers to embracing the adventure that awaits in 2024!
Get a free copy of my book, Don’t Look at the Monster.
Connect with L.Y.:https://lymarlow.taplink.ws
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