“Think like a queen. A queen is not afraid to fail. Failure is another stepping-stone to greatness.” – Oprah Winfrey

My fourth article appeared on Daily Worth on October 16, 2015 titled, “How Failure Fuels Your Future Success.”

Here is a brief excerpt:

Perhaps you’re familiar with the adage that “failure is the key to success.” There are countless stories of people who have been rejected, lost their fortunes, or were told they would not amount to anything, only to overcome the obstacles and find enormous accomplishment in the aftermath. So, if failure is part of the formula for success, why are people so afraid of getting busted?

Society is eager to define what success means for people, and each stage of life seems to be judged by what we do or do not do; have or do not have; and accomplish or do not accomplish. Many people fail along the way, and there seems to be harshness and judgment of those individuals in that moment. No wonder people are afraid to fall short; we live in an era that places high value on competition and winning. Everyone becomes so obsessed with succeeding that they often miss seeing the gift that failure has to offer.

What is the solution? Fail. Fail fast, fail hard, and then tap into a deeper desire to excel and begin again. Henry Ford realized this when he said, “Failure is simply the opportunity to begin again more wisely.”

There is a richness and wisdom to someone who has failed and come back with inner strength, disciplined determination, gentle compassion, and the knowledge that she can survive adversity.

In this article, I share 14 tips for embracing failure. Here are a few…

Accept that failure is part of the process.

1. If you made a mistake, apologize for what you did, not for who you are.
2. Look at what you did right. There are always positives.
3. Refute any shame or guilt.
4. Don’t play the blame game — don’t run or hide from your mistakes, but rather clean up what is necessary.
5. Choose to stay upbeat and don’t spread negativity.
6. Model failing gracefully and notice your positive personal impact.

I urge you to face any fear. Embrace failing often so that you can wildly exceed your own expectations and receive the full benefits of living a complete life with meaning, purpose, pleasure, and greatness.

To learn more about staying true to yourself while things seem to be falling apart and learn about all 14 tips, read the full article here. 

Meet Jennifer: Life Coach, Inspirational Speaker and Author Jennifer M. Blair is founder of Excavive™ Coaching and Consulting, based in Louisville, Kentucky. Her work focuses on empowering people to pursue their passions, increase their self-confidence, communicate powerfully and build the kind of lives they want to live. If you love these Blog posts, many have been adapted from her first book, The True You: Tools to Excavate, Explore and Evolve, published in 2011.

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