6 good things about failures.

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Why failure is so important to success?

Many successful people have said that failures taught them more lessons than success did. Thomas Edison said, he didn't fail but tried 10000 ways that won't work.

Don't give up because your first attempt was unsuccessful. Try again! Many times we tend to focus on our losses and not the opportunities.

“Most great people have attained their greatest success just one step beyond their greatest failure.” – Napoleon Hill Click to Tweet

“Opportunity often comes disguised in the form of misfortune, or temporary defeat.” – Napoleon Hill

Six good things about failures:

1. They reveal our weaknesses.

We all have our weaknesses whether or not we want to admit them. The best part about this is that our weaknesses can be converted into strengths; if we choose to identify them and work on them. I remember my experience with Mathematics. It was a subject that I dreaded for the majority of my school life.

I failed Mathematics from primary school through the final two years of high school. At that time, we had gotten a new teacher. It was as if he was the missing piece all these years.

He taught the subject in a way that dispelled every fear I had. I didn't move from a failing grade to an A student, but my grades improved significantly.

I found myself loving the subject. I would practice past papers at home. I even did some extra lessons. At the end of my senior year, I passed my final Math exams. Not in flying colors, but a good enough grade that would consider a pass.

''You must believe you deserve it, work toward it until you see it, and affirm it until you become it.'' Muhammad Ali.

Sometimes ignorance is at the root of our fears. The reason I failed Mathematics for close to fifteen years of my school life wasn't that I never possessed the ability to do it. I just couldn't understand the way the information was being presented to me and that created fear.

Ignorance enslaves, but knowledge liberates. That's exactly what happened after I got a new teacher. I began to understand and because I understood my fear of the subject disappeared.

2. They will take us from where we are to where we should have been.

''Most people seek comfort at the moment, even if it leads to pain later. Very few people are willing to go through pain at the moment for the possibility of a brighter future.'' Muhammad Ali.

There are times when we end up getting stuck at places where we shouldn't have been in the first place.

There are some relationships that we should never have entered. There are some jobs that we should never have taken. Some people shouldn't have been our friends.

There are some habits that we should have abandoned long ago, and if it weren't for the fact that these things failed us miserably, we would not have made the required changes.

You hear people saying, they're going to quit smoking because their lungs are failing. You hear people saying they're going to start their own business because they got fired from the job they've spent their whole life doing. They've suddenly found a use for the talent they kept buried all these years.

Many of us can attest to the fact that we would not have been at the best place of our lives if something uncomfortable didn't evict us from our comfort zone. That's one of the blessings of failures. It will take us from where we are to where we should have been.

3. They change our outlook on life.

If it weren't for our failures there are many lessons that we would never have learned. As they say, a smooth sea will not make a good sailor.

The difficulties that we endure in life give birth to our greatest strengths. I've learned to survive alone because those who should have been by my side left when I needed them most.

I know how it feels to appreciate all I have now because there were times when I had nothing. I know how it feels to be loved, and appreciated because there was a time when all I had was a broken heart.

I don't curse life for taking me through the valley. I thank God for having let me suffer in the valley. If I hadn't been through the valley, I'd never know how good it feels to be on the mountain top.

“Victory is always possible for the person who refuses to stop fighting.” – Napoleon Hill

4. They expose our relationships with other people.

Many of us are in the company of fake people and we just don't know. Our adversities will reveal those who are really with us for the long haul.

There are times when life takes us through situations that we don't even have an explanation for. Our relationships are failing. Our health is failing. Our businesses are failing. Everything is falling apart, but we just don't know why?

Who can you call on when your entire life is in turmoil? Sometimes there's hardly anyone. So many people can attest to the loss of relationships that they thought were solid because life took an unexpected turn, and they could no longer do the things they used to do.

5. They tell us what we should do differently.

“When defeat comes, accept it as a signal that your plans are not sound, rebuild those plans, and set sail once more toward your coveted goal.” – Napoleon Hill.

You'll only get the same results if you continue to do the same thing. It's important to learn from your mistakes. That's how you are going to succeed. I'm sure that when Thomas Edison succeeded with the lightbulb he didn't do the same thing he did the other times.

6. There is an opportunity in every failure.

You need to know the difference between an opportunity and a waste of your time. If you quit when you fail, you may very well be walking out on some of your greatest opportunities.

If you expect different results by doing the same thing. You're only wasting your time. Don't think that you'll have a smooth life. That isn't possible for any of us. We all have our challenges.

Your challenge may not be mine and my challenge may not be yours. Likewise, your approach to handling situations may be different from mine, and vice-versa.

The next time you fail at doing something. Don't conclude that you've only wasted your time. Look for the opportunities. There are opportunities in every failure, but if you only fix your mind on what you've lost, that's all you're going to see.

“It is impossible to live without failing at something unless you live so cautiously that you might as well not have lived at all, in which case you have failed by default.” —J. K. Rowling

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