Redefining Failure

Failure. Oof!! Just thinking about it might make you feel like your stomach is full of actual rocks or that you want to curl up in a ball on the floor and cry. I’ve been there and it’s the absolute worst! Failures can knock you down and the fear of failure can keep you from even trying!! BUT you don’t have to let failure cost you your peace and hold you back. I want you to remember this quote, “We don’t fail, we learn.” Honestly, it might just be the best thing for you or your business! 

What is your definition of failure?

The dictionary definition of failure is “lack of success.” That’s it, that’s the whole definition, what a bummer!! I can imagine that it doesn’t leave you feeling hope in any way. And let’s get real, failing is a giant part of every level of business and life! It is going to happen, no way around it. You could miss your launch goal by a mile, a new marketing strategy might totally flop, you fail to communicate with your team that depends on you, and the list goes on… So, let’s redefine it!! 

Have you heard the phrase, “Fail fast and fail forward”? Whether you’ve had your own business for years and years and years, you’re in the conception stage, or anyyyywhere in between… this concept is GOLD. You.are.going.to.fail, but it’s your response and what you learn that matters. Your action following a “failure” is what is going to create your actual reality!  When you fail forward, you advance to something new, you change it up, you turn that failure into a redirection. And let’s not forget the first part! FAIL FAST. Take a moment to reset, but don’t wallow. You fail, you learn, you redirect, you move on from it. The quicker you get past the failures, the stronger your business will become AND the more confident you will be.

Recently, I had a big fat epic failure. I had just launched my online course and was hosting a group led study hall on zoom for my students to make friends and it was just… crickets. My immediate response was “Oh my gosh that was an epic failure, that was so embarrassing!!” It was such a failure that my trusted students had shown up, ready for a quality experience, and it wasn’t that. I wrote a quick email along the lines of, “hey guys, sorry that sucked! I’m going to do this, this, this, etc. to change this for next time, and I promise to make it up to you.” Four years ago I would have curled up into a ball and cried, because it would have felt so humiliating. Instead, I acknowledged what happened, created an actionable plan, and redirected. 

Our New Definition of Failure

So what is our new definition for failure? Failure is an opportunity and invitation to move towards success, a redirection. I love the quote that says, “Failure is not the opposite of success, it’s a crucial part of success.” Redefine your failures as that, and it makes them waayyyy less brutal and waayyyyy more welcomed. Give yourself grace as you move through failures. It doesn’t have to cost you your peace.

I’m cheering you on as the failures come!

Love, love, love,

Suzy

P.S. Also, a little reminder that YOU are NOT a failure. An idea, a strategy, or a product can be a failure. But you? You simply cannot be. So never let yourself define failure as such!!!