Having overcome the fear of failure (see my blog post “What would you do?” of Aug 15, 2009), it is equally important to realize that when we tend to push the envelope, failure is a very strong possibility in our initial attempts.

Could we do without failure at all? Ideally, failure is unwarranted.

Philosophically speaking, it is this very failure that makes the success so sweet. But it is not so easy to have an abstract viewpoint immediately following a failed attempt.

So, what do you do when you fail? Well, do yourself a favour by not suppressing your true feelings. It is essential and healthy to feel bad about the failure. That is the easiest way to fuel your motivation for another attempt.

Do not anticipate failure but do not rule out its occurrence altogether. Treat each failure as a ‘wake-up call’. It is an honest feedback of your shortcomings with reference to the goal(s) you set for yourself.

In some cases, the journey to a point of failure is actually a mark of achievement to a certain degree.  At the point where one fails to pass the driving test, there is actually a certain percentage of progress (30 or 60 or 80 percent) towards becoming a licensed driver. This realization helps in alleviating the frustration that comes from failure. It verifies that all your effort has not gone in vain.

Looking at an instance of failure as a ‘road travelled so far’ also helps in identifying the gap between the current capability or achievement and the desired one. Thus, when used objectively, failure works to your advantage, and evidently, helps you focus on bridging the gap.

In spite of preaching all positives about a failure, I do not want to instil in your mind that failure is essential for you to succeed. If you have not encountered failure so far, it is possible that, in most cases, you did not need that ‘wake-up call’.  This could mean that you identified and mitigated the risk of failure before it actually occurred.

Successful people make this tendency of pre-empting the crisis, a habit.