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So You’ve Failed… Now What?

By admin • July 3, 2009

As a business owner one thing is certain, you eventually will experience failure.  You may call it “a challenge,” “an opportunity” or “one step closer to success,” but deep down inside you know what it really is and how it makes you feel.  It’s failure and it feels lousy.
 
Sometimes the after effects of failure are hard to shrug off.  For those times, here are 5 strategies you can try out to move past the failure and get back to business.
 
1.  Acknowledge that failing is part of the process.  In order to continue to move forward and to grow, it is necessary to take risks and to try things that cause us to go outside of our comfort zone.  Because we are trying new things, the outcome will not always be the one we desire.  Take time upfront to acknowledge that failing to succeed is a possibility and is part of the process.

2.  Seek out the “lessons learned going forward.”  When you have failed, ask yourself, “What lessons can I learn from this that will increase my chances of future success?”  I encourage my clients to keep a “lessons learned going forward” notebook to capture these golden nuggets.  When we shift our perspective from the negative feelings of failure to how the experience can help us succeed in the future, we begin to look at failures in a more positive light.

3.  Walk it off.  Exercise is a great way to shift your mood, help you refocus your energy and to interrupt the “memory loop” that replays your failure over and over again in your mind.  Choose an activity that will get you moving and your blood pumping.  Focus intensely on what you are doing and how your body is reacting.  If you begin to think about the failure, consciously refocus your attention on your activity.

4.  Phone a friend.  Do you have a friend who always seems to see the bright side of everything and brings a smile to your face?  Or someone will tell you to “Snap Out of It!” when that’s what you need to hear?  If so, this is a great person to have on speed dial for the times when you are feeling bad about failing.  We are often our toughest critics and another person’s perspective can be extremely helpful.
 
5.  Focus on what’s next.  After you’ve discovered your “lessons learned going forward” and tried some techniques to shift your energy, it will eventually be time for you to move on.  Now is a great time to reassess where you are and to create an action plan going forward.  What impact does this failure have on your overall business plan?  What actions are necessary for you to reach your goals?  What goals need to be reviewed and adjusted?  In essence, what can you do to KEEP MOVING FORWARD?
 
Although failure is not fun, it doesn’t need to be paralyzing.  As you stretch yourself further and take healthy risks to grow your business, you may find yourself facing failures more often.  You may also find that despite these failures, you are moving your business forward more quickly than if you took the safe route.  Just remember to KEEP MOVING FORWARD.
 
 

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One Response to “So You’ve Failed… Now What?”

  1. Twitted by BizCoachScott
    July 4, 2009 at 9:14 am |

    [...] This post was Twitted by BizCoachScott [...]

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