“My great concern is not whether you have failed, but whether you are content with your failure.”
– Abraham Lincoln
Failure is one of my favorite topics, because it is a necessary part of success. You must try many things on the way to success, and some of those attempts are bound to fail. The trick is to redefine what how you think of failure. It’s not a negative, or a label, or a permanent condition. Failure is a key to learning and growing.
My sister, Connie Foote, shared this piece by Connie K. Cooley, of Crookston, MN. The subject is make failure work for you.
Failure will either work for you or against you. You can make failure work for you by following these simple steps:
- Appreciate the value of failure. Teach yourself to think of it as a mileage marker and see how far you have come!
- Don’t take it personally!
- Let failure redirect you. If you keep ending up on the same detour that should be telling you a change is necessary.
- Keep a sense of humor! This is probably the most important step.
- Ask why, not who. Take responsibility and determine a plan of action.
- Make failure a learning experience.
- Don’t let failure keep you down. Use this powerful affirmation: “I’m never down! I’m either up or getting up.”
- Use failure as a gauge for growth. Expect failure; look for it. It is necessary for success.
- See the big picture. Failure is not final.
- Don’t give up! Don’t give up! Tenacity will mark the winner. Obstacles mark success!
Thanks to both Connies for sharing this gem. If you are interested, we have lots more on the subjects of success and failure.
small biz rural entrepreneurship
New to SmallBizSurvival.com? Take the Guided Tour. Like what you see? Subscribe.
- Cheap placemaking idea: instant murals - September 11, 2020
- Refilling the rural business pipeline - July 7, 2020
- Huge vacant buildings: grants to renovate? - June 9, 2020
- Economic self defense for small towns - June 7, 2020
- The best things you can do for local businesses in light of coronavirus - March 27, 2020
- How to get more parking downtown without adding any spaces - March 7, 2020
- Exact Yeti Blue mic volume and Windows settings to reduce background noise - February 17, 2020
- Getting local businesses to cooperate with you: Shop Hopping Around Brownsville - December 16, 2019
- Survey of Rural Challenges 2019 results - December 5, 2019
- Shop Indie Local adds a new twist to tired Buy Local campaigns - November 11, 2019
