Have you ever stopped to think what failure means to you? The way you perceive mistakes, failures and adversities plays a very important role in your personal and professional development and in your achievements and successes, so it is essential to develop resilience. Resilience is the ability to adapt and recover from setbacks, to move on when things don't work as you expected. Do you want an example?
I have not failed. I've discovered 999 ways how not to make a light bulb. » Thomas A. Edison.
This is a perfect example of resilience. Imagine what would have happened if Edison had decided to give up. Fortunately he did not, on the contrary, he accepted his mistakes, learned from them and moved on.
The reality is that in this life it is inevitable to fail and make mistakes, the only way to avoid it would be not to take any risk or try anything new, and that is not living! That is why it is advisable to develop resilience. According to psychologist Susan Kobasa, there are three key elements to be more resilient:
1. See difficulties as challenges. Failures and mistakes as lessons and opportunities to develop yourself and not consider them as something negative and much less as a defect of yours.
2. Commit to yourself, your life and your goals. Want to keep going no matter what.
3. Focus on what you can control. There are certain circumstances and events that you simply cannot control, it is wise to focus on what is in your hand and what will make the biggest difference in your life. This way you will feel confident and empowered because you are doing not only what you can, but what matters.
Also a psychologist, Martin Seligman, mentions the importance of considering setbacks as something temporary, of ensuring that they do not affect other areas of your life and of not internalizing them or making them personal. It is not the same to think that yesterday (temporary) you were not very fine at work that you always do your job poorly or that you are useless. You see the difference?
What can you do to be resilient and face changes and setbacks differently? Here are some suggestions:
Be aware of what you think when something goes wrong and when you talk about yourself. If you find negative or critical thoughts, correct them and always try to think and speak well of yourself.
Stop considering yourself a victim and take charge of your life. Focus your time and energy on the things or situations that you can change, not on what does not depend on you.
Try not to associate making mistakes with failure. Mistakes are part of life and you learn from them, decide to find the lesson you can take.
Remember that what matters is your reaction to adversity and mistakes. You choose whether to find a solution and move on, or to think that you are useless and freeze.
Don't make a mountain out of a grain of sand. It is important to keep perspective in every situation. Perhaps in the long term what now seems terrible is still a mere anecdote.
Be flexible. Things change, plans do not always go well, this is life and it is better to accept it as soon as possible and adapt to it.
Seek support. Having a good relationship with your friends, family and coworkers will make it easier for you to overcome obstacles because you will have support and that is essential.
And you, do you consider yourself resilient or give up in the face of failure and failure? Can you imagine what you would achieve if you had enough strength not to give up? It's up to you, so get down to business.
