Finding gratitude from Failure

Within the last few blog posts, I talked about topics surrounding failure and how to come back from it essentially. We can ask for help gracefully, handle setbacks with ease, pivot, and cut our losses, but if we do not take the time to find gratitude in the failures or setbacks in life, then it becomes harder to learn from failure. One of the greatest quotes I have seen recently was this;

“You either win, or you learn. If you want to be successful, there’s no other option.” – Dan Sullivan

People often ask me if I will ever go back to K2 to climb it again to reach the goal to summit the second time; my answer is always yes. I say yes to it not because I want to hit all the Seven Second Summits or hit a world record. I learned many valuable lessons in that experience that I am grateful for even though I had to descend and not summit. I am thankful for the experience, and the lessons it taught me is why I will eventually attempt the summit there again.

Most people may struggle to find that silver lining or lesson learned in the situation when faced with failure. That is the most significant aspect of finding gratitude from failure. Finding the silver lining and lesson is important but thanking the universe for providing that guidance with that lesson is how you bounce back more quickly and easily.

Gratitude is the remedy to failure

Having gratitude is the remedy to failure. Of course, we are allowed to have our moment to express emotion for the failure but don’t stay there too long because feelings are temporary, and they will pass. If we sit and dwell over and over on what went wrong and feel sorry for ourselves, that doesn’t help us be grateful for the lesson learned from the failure. So you may be asking yourself, “How can I express gratitude after failure?” Let’s explore several ways you can re-look at the ability to find its gratitude.

Failures are opportunities

If you take a moment to view failure as an opportunity rather than a disappointment, it is not putting a positive spin on reality. The majority of successful people see failures as an opportunity to learn and change course for the future. Doing this shows you are accepting that everyone fails, and you have the choice to learn from your mistakes rather than stay stuck in them.

Failure will force you to be more resilient and innovative

Trial and error are essential to help you realize what will work and what does not. When you admit that you tried and failed while taking what you learned to build a better strategy to get to your goal.

Failure can also make you more inclined to try different strategies, to have a new viewpoint of risk and reward. If you are not afraid to fail, you will be more likely to try a bold plan and methods, leading to more success with a new approach.

Failure reminds us to give ourselves grace and are not alone

Whether you want to believe it or not, failure often will make you a better person. When you accept that failure is a part of life will then, in turn, make you a more empathic and less judgmental person towards others.

It will also allow you to help others and be open to asking for and receiving help when you may need it. Also, you will be less likely to be prone to perfectionism and be less inclined to chronic self-doubt. Alternatively, failure will help build your self-confidence.

Finding gratitude from failure is a beautiful thing. Ultimately if you want to embrace failure better and more easily, learn from it, express gratitude for it, and use it as a stepping stone to greater success.