Failure is Feedback Mindset

By Pat Casello Maddox

In 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.

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 and activity.

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.

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.

Team Building

Having time to sit and meditate was difficult. But it helped me learn more about myself, my strengths, and my future purpose in life.

Improve Your Mental and Physical Health

I knew deep inside I could be happy and successful even in a wheelchair. I also knew my life choices still mattered.

I learned to move around with the chair. It strengthened my upper body, self-confidence, and sense of freedom.

I used quiet reflective time to improve my gratitude for what I had. This helped me realize the job was not a loss, but a stepping stone to open up my life.

Reassess Your Options

What did I learn from this experience? The interim job had been the result of circumstances rather than my dream. I took it without really considering my options. I am a teacher, a clinician and a writer. I am intellectually curious and creative.

I knew I loved helping others. How could I continue to provide education and access to great goods and services?

Fail Forward to Success

I took a leave from work for surgery. During that time, I began to study copy and content writing.

After a year in a wheelchair, I was ready for surgery. That afternoon, they had me walk during rehab.

I felt like a baby, learning to walk again with good and bad days, but steady progress. At home, I slowly strolled the halls with my walker twice a day for months.

Regular routines helped me shift inside. Not only was my body better, but my mind and emotional life were becoming calmer, stronger, and more focused.

Through a series of steps, I discovered something priceless along the way. I realized neither my legs nor my job defined me. And that was the beginning of my recovery and freedom from failure and fear.

I knew I could be happy despite circumstances. I knew I could pick myself up and start again.

Since then I have continued to perform successful projects for my university. I also am growing my writing business.

Nobody wants failure. Nobody enjoys it. But everyone is destined to experience it.

See your failures as feedback. Get up and fail forward to your success.

Pat Casello-Maddox is an SEOfocused copy and content specialist living in Minneapolis. She has many years experience as a healthcare provider, educator and writing entrepreneur. Her mission is to support health and wellness businesses in connecting great products and services with their current and future customers.

As a certified SmartBlogger Content Marketing writer and an AWAI Copywriter and Case Study Specialist, she provides branded, engaging copy and content for B2C and B2B businesses.