Failure Does Not Exist!



Most of us lead our lives with a major fear: the fear of failure. Have you ever found yourself facing this fear? Let us be truthful; the fact remains that no one ever wants to fail in any endeavour. Our society puts such a premium on success that any setback makes us feel ineffective, weak, or lacking in some way. However, the real truth is that ‘failure’ is something that has no existence, until you say that it has.



Look up any dictionary. You will find several definitions of failure there. These are:



• A failing to do or perform

• A state of inability to perform a normal action adequately

• A fracturing or giving way under stress

• A lack of success



Please examine all these definitions carefully. What do you find common in all these definitions? These clearly state that when it comes to achieving a goal, failure is nothing but a perception.



If you believe that you have failed, then you have. If you believe that you can’t succeed, you can’t. If you believe that you can’t possibly handle the pressure of achieving your goals, you can’t. If you believe that you are not successful, you aren’t. Failure has no existence beyond your mind. The moment you decide to stop working towards your goals, failure is born.



What would happen if you do not believe in any of that? What would happen if you carry on working towards your goals? What if you take one step at a time for as long as it takes? What happens to failure then? It no longer exists, does it? So there you are. Now do you agree with me?



If you have been working diligently, but not yet seeing any results; keep this simple statement in mind: ‘Failure has no existence”. Just keep going and you can never fail; because there is no such thing as failure for you.



Never count yourself out. Many a times, people give up without ever realizing it. Don’t stop when the going gets tough. Don’t let your motivation dwindle. Make a commitment to yourself, to make your goals happen. Never ever quit. Do not ever contemplate failure. Do not lose your inner determination.

Thomas Alva Edison’s words ring so true to this day, “Many of life’s failures are people who did not realize how close they were to success when they gave up.” And he should know what he was talking about!

Let me share Edison’s life history with you. He had only three months of formal schooling, and he was partially deaf. He ‘failed’ approximately ten thousand times while working on the light bulb. At the age of 67, his factory caught fire. While watching the smoke Edison remarked, “God has erased all my mistakes”. Three weeks later he invented phonograph. In fact, he was the greatest inventor of all times. He knew that failure has no existence. Follow Edison’s example and get going.



Set a general timeline for achieving your goals but do not get hooked on to a specific timeframe. Some circumstances always remain beyond your control; hence you can’t always be sure ‘when’ your goal will be achieved. If you get attached to a particular timeframe, you are setting yourself up for failure. It is better to get a general idea about by when you would like to see your goal accomplished. Take it one day at a time. Focus on making progress everyday. You will eventually reach the finish line. Don’t think of taking shortcuts; they don’t work.



Don’t ever view obstacles and setbacks as failures, because they are not. In fact, they have nothing in common with failure. The two are as different as chalk is from cheese. Whenever you face an obstacle, setback, or delay, it can mean only one thing; the time has not yet come for your goal to be completed. That is all! It does not mean that you have failed. It does not mean that you are weak. It does not also mean that you will never achieve your goals. It just means that you are not through as yet. You have got to keep moving ahead, finding a way around an obstacle.



Doing an honest, personal SWOT analysis helps in maintaining the morale during tough times; especially if you link it to a strong and powerful goal! It is easy to conduct your own SWOT analysis. Take a sheet of paper and divide it into four quadrants. Label each area as S, W, O, T. Look at each area and write down the answers to following questions:



Strengths:



• What skills and capabilities do you possess?

• Which areas do you excel in?

• What qualifications, accreditations, or experience make you unique?

• What do other people consider as your strengths?

• Which personal qualities, values and beliefs help you stand out amongst others?



Weaknesses:



• What are the gaps in your capabilities?

• What skills do you need to develop?

• Which areas of your life can you improve upon?

• What do other people see as your weaknesses?

• Which personal difficulties do you need to work through to reach your goals?

• What opportunities are currently available to you?

• What external circumstances can help you achieve your goals?

• Which people could offer you support in achieving your goals?



Threats:



• What obstacles are you currently facing?

• What external circumstances can hinder your growth?

• Which people could get into the way of your achieving your goals?



Such an analysis will clearly help you to understand that you possibly cannot fail, unless you decide to fail. This analysis will help you highlight the aspects of your growth story that you may not have ever considered. This will provide you with a different perspective on your personality.



So, go ahead, review your strengths, and consider ways to address your weaknesses. Develop your skills and capabilities. Review your opportunities and use them to your advantage. Think of ways to minimize or eliminate your threats. Such actions are a one way ticket to success. Failure has no role to play here, as it just does not exist. All that exists and always did are opportunities and challenges!



Let go of your false beliefs and expect success!