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Failure is Feedback Mindset
Turn Failure into Feedback The only real way to fail is to give up. So how do you rebound from failure? You move forward by learning from the past. You respond to the present in a new way. I‘m not saying it’s easy. Failure is emotional and hits you where you are most vulnerable.
By Pat Casello Maddox
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n 2013, at age 56, I was promoted to an interim position at my university. I knew I might not get it, but I wanted to show what I could do. As usual, I dove right in to make the most of the opportunity. The hours were long. The boss was demanding. The job was ambiguous.
“The only real way to fail is to give up.”
A year later I collapsed – literally. I had developed a herniated disc in my lower back by delaying a left hip surgery. It came on suddenly and severely. I was informed my operation would be delayed further. They gave me a spinal injection, put me in a wheel chair, and sent me home. I had no idea what would happen in the future. Secretly, I feared I would never walk again and lose the job. The position was slipping through my fingers. And I lost my ‘go to’ stress relief — my physical health
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It helps you see your life and setbacks as parts of an ongoing journey. Failure can motivate you when your mindset is strong. It also may temporarily leave you in uncertainty and doubt. Ultimately, if you continue to try, you rebound and start moving forward again. The worst thing is to get permanently stuck. I decided to reframe the situation by turning failure into feedback.
Honor Your Feelings I grew up as an athletic kid. I was outdoors all the time, swimming and playing kickball with the boys in the neighborhood. I excelled at school. I had a lot of friends and went out to set the world on fire. Suddenly I was less mobile and more dependent on others. I felt afraid and uncertain. It is important to honor your feelings after failure. And equally important to move on despite them.
