I am most certainly not a fan of failure. I have read a ton about failure and how beneficial failing can be. Things like, “failure shows you’re trying” and “failures are just stepping stones to success.”

Let’s be really clear about this absolute truth regarding failure… success beats failure every single day. If I’m succeeding then I don’t need to prove I’m trying. If I’m successful then I don’t need any damn stepping stones. I’ll just skip the stepping stones and make the leap to even greater success.

Given the choice, I’ll take succeeding over failing every chance I get.

But, no one succeeds all the time. Even people recognized as the best at what they do often endure frequent failures on their way to the top. Even at the top they continue to experience failure on occasion.

Ultimately, the difference between continual failure and eventual success comes down to learning from our failures. Learning from failure is a superpower that can help you grow, both personally and professionally. If you’re willing to learn from your failures, then you can make those failures temporary. If you’re not willing to learn from them, then buckle up because you’re in for a rough ride through life.

I’ll assume that you’re willing to learn from your failures and that being the case, here are some steps to help you make the most of setbacks and prevent them from becoming permanent failures.

1. Accept Failure: It’s a part of life, not a reflection of your worth. Don’t ignore it!

2. Analyze What Happened: Take a deep look and figure out what went wrong. Was it because you weren’t prepared, or was it something else?

3. Identify Key Lessons: Think about what you learned from the experience. Did you learn something about time management, resource allocation, or communication?

4. Adjust Your Approach: Use the lessons you learned to change your methods. Treat each attempt as a step forward, not an end.

5. Maintain a Growth Mindset: See failure as feedback. It’s not the opposite of success; it’s part of the journey. Stay persistent and keep going!

6. Take Responsibility Without Self-Blame: Own your part in the failure. Be kind to yourself and don’t be too hard on yourself.

7. Test and Experiment: Try again and see what works better. Use small experiments to test different approaches before committing fully.

8. Celebrate Progress: Celebrate even small steps forward to stay motivated. Appreciate the courage it takes to keep going, despite setbacks.

I can’t imagine failure ever being an enjoyable experience, but by using these ideas, failure can become a valuable learning experience that sets you up for greater success in the future.

Learning from failure is a choice, successful people make that choice; less successful people generally do not. Which one will you be?