Successful people does not let Failures and regrets derail their ambitions. In fact they use it wisely as an opportunity which propels their growth.
In a Harvard research it was found that: None of the top professionals had escaped having some setbacks, rejections, or missed opportunities.
Many Successful people who dealt with failure in life were asked this question :
What was that one biggest learning which they got after they failed ?
Almost all said that they were initially disappointed, however, gaining perspective over time helped them realize that those early frustrations afforded them the chance to try something different. It helped them follow their passion and gain valuable insights which they otherwise would have not got if they would have tasted success initially.
RealLife Example :
Gina Warner, CEO of the National AfterSchool Association, told :
“I didn’t pass my bar exam the first time, which meant I couldn’t accept the position I’d been offered at the district attorney’s office. But it did mean I could volunteer on a U.S. Senate campaign, and when that candidate won I got hired to work for her, a much better opportunity for me.”
Learning :
Being able to identify the silver lining in a perceived failure or missed opportunity can help you move on to bigger and better things — while maintaining your self-confidence in the process.
As Wharton professor Adam Grant puts it:
“We are more than the bullet points on our résumés. We are better than the sentences we string together into a word salad under the magnifying glass of an interview. No one is rejecting us. They are rejecting a sample of our work, sometimes only after seeing it through a foggy lens.”
The quote by Adam Grant suggests that people should not define themselves solely based on their resumes or their performance in interviews. Grant argues that individuals are more than the limited information presented on their resumes or the way they present themselves during an interview.
Grant implies that when people are rejected, it’s not a personal rejection of their entire being, but rather a rejection of a particular sample of their work or presentation that may not have been the best representation of their abilities. He also acknowledges that sometimes the rejection may happen due to external factors like unclear communication, which may distort how the work is perceived.
Therefore, the quote emphasizes the importance of keeping an open mind, taking rejection in stride, and not letting it define one’s self-worth.
Don’t let failure in your life undermine your potential, instead, Fail Forward to Success.