The Fundamental Aspects Of Failure That Everyone Should Know
PERSONAL DEVELOPMENT
2 min read
Philosophy Of Failure
(1) Basic Explanation: Failure occurs when the way we do things and the results we get don't match up. It's when things don't go as planned or expected.
(2) Societal Perspective: In society, success is often linked to wealth or recognition. But this viewpoint is shaky and can change based on situations or norms. This raises questions about who decides what success is and how we measure it.
(3) The Modern View: In today's consumer-driven world, success often means having lots of material possessions, cool trips, or spiritual contentment. This idea promotes a fear of missing out and is influenced by the idea that more is always better.
(4) My Perspective: For me, failure includes things I've done that I regret when I look back on my life. Essentially, anything that isn't successful is a failure. Since we can't track all our failures, we use a shortcut. In psychology, this shortcut is called a heuristic. Mine is simple: If you regret doing something when you die, it's a failure.
Psychology Of Failure
(1) Feeling Rejected: Failure makes others reject you, which can lead to you rejecting yourself. We often look to others for approval and compare ourselves to them. When you fail, others see you differently, making you see yourself differently too.
(2) Post-Failure Hangover: It's like having a hangover after too much partying. When you fail, your mind replays what happened over and over, trying to make sense of it.
(3) Feeling Helpless: Once you fail, your mind might say, "You'll just fail again." This can become a cycle, a self-fulfilling prophecy.
(4) Learning From Failure: Failure is a lesson waiting to be learned. The pain you feel is saying, "Hey, pay attention, there's a lesson here." We have mental frameworks called schemas. When we fail, these frameworks get messed up and need fixing or adjusting.
(5) Unanswered Puzzle: If you don't learn the lesson, the puzzle stays unsolved. And the hangover (pain) sticks around. After a failure, ask yourself, "What went wrong? What could I have done differently?"
(6) The "Last Day" Paradox: After a failure, you might think it's the end. But is today really your last day on Earth? Probably not. If it's not the end, your story isn't over yet. You can still work toward success.
When Failures Are Huge
(1) Losing Your Way: You get confused and lose your natural instincts.
(2) Reality Crumbles: Your sense of reality might break down.
(3) Feeling Alone: Big failures can make you feel rejected by others.
(4) Self-Doubt Takes Over: You become less confident and perform poorly.
Fresh Ways To Think About Failure
(1) Mindset Impact: Our thoughts shape our emotions and actions. Change your thinking, and you can change how you feel and what you do.
(2) Choose What To Fail At: Focus on the methods, systems, and processes, not just the outcomes that others define.
(3) Being Antifragile: This means getting stronger when faced with challenges. Ask, "How can this failure make me stronger?"
(4) Balanced Mindset: Approach success as if you'll succeed and failure as something that can teach you.
(5) Solution-Oriented Mindset: Focus on finding solutions and lessons in failure rather than dwelling on the problem itself.