We all know that in life, we can't avoid failing.
Yet, there's a way of viewing failure that might actually make it empowering for us.
Author Laura B. Randolph once said that "failure is success if we learn from it".
Following this logic, we can take it that Life's upheavals are not meant to defeat us. they are intended to make us stronger. Every failure presents an opportunity to learn something that would benefit us in future.
With this view, we no longer need to see failure as a setback.
So if you are going through a bad patch, instead of spending your time moping, think critically about what could have led to your situation. What could you have done better? What new knowledge did you fain from the experience? What are your options now that can take you to a better place?
Look forward. No storm lasts forever. And though life's potholes can slow us down, even break us a bit, they can always be breached. And we can heal and improve. Humans are the original upgradeable machines.
In life, there is only one dead end. But the rest of the time, your life is still ahead of you, no matter how bleak present circumstances seem. Even the apparent "dimness" of your present plight is a matter of outlook. Don't allow a setback to limit your view and prevent you from enjoying the rest of what life has to offer.
Too many of us focus on the negative aspects of life. Seldom do we savour and cherish the good parts of life. We simply take them for granted until they are no longer around.
Similarly, we often view failure with derision and disappointment. But it's time to change this mindset.
Make failure a stepping stone and it will nudge you towards your eventual goals.
Let's learn from the words of author Laura b. Randolph... if we learn from Failure, it really is Success with another name.
Eugine Loh, 938Live, MediaCorp Pte Ltd