{"id":10370,"date":"2012-05-16T23:03:25","date_gmt":"2012-05-17T07:03:25","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.pickthebrain.com\/?p=10370"},"modified":"2013-09-18T09:09:46","modified_gmt":"2013-09-18T17:09:46","slug":"how-to-pick-yourself-up-after-a-failure","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.pickthebrain.com\/blog\/how-to-pick-yourself-up-after-a-failure\/","title":{"rendered":"How to Pick Yourself Up After a Failure"},"content":{"rendered":"<div style=\"margin-top: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px;\" class=\"sharethis-inline-share-buttons\" ><\/div><p><a href=\"http:\/\/wp.me\/pAjjf-2Hg\"><\/a><\/p>\n<p>No one likes to fail. Whether it\u2019s at work, at home, or in another area of your life, failure is painful \u2013 and it can also be costly in terms of time, money, or both.<\/p>\n<p>But failure is a normal part of life. If you never, ever suffer a failure, then you\u2019re probably not pushing yourself to your full potential. Often, it\u2019s only through failure that we eventually meet with success.<\/p>\n<p>Here\u2019s how to pick yourself up after you\u2019ve failed:<!--more--><\/p>\n<h2>Limit the Damage Caused<\/h2>\n<p>Once you realize you\u2019ve failed, you need to take steps to limit the damage caused by that failure. That could mean:<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>You sell off that gym equipment that you\u2019re never going to get round to using<\/li>\n<li>You step down from that position that you should never have taken in the first place<\/li>\n<li>You apologize to someone who you hurt by saying something thoughtless or unkind<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p><strong>Whatever the situation, being proactive is <em>always<\/em> going to be a better option than sticking your head in the sand and wishing it had never happened.<\/strong><\/p>\n<h2>Remember that Other People Fail Too<\/h2>\n<p>Most people don\u2019t talk openly about their failures. They\u2019ll tell you about that great new contract they signed &#8230; not that deal they worked on for months, only to have it slip through their fingers.<\/p>\n<p><strong>But failure is normal, and lots of people fail time and time again before meeting with success.<\/strong> Here are a few quotes that might help you to remember that:<\/p>\n<h2><em>\u201cEdison failed 10, 000 times before he made the electric light. Do not be discouraged if you fail a few times.\u201d<\/em><\/h2>\n<h2>\u2013 Napoleon Hill<\/h2>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p><em>\u201cI&#8217;ve missed more than 9000 shots in my career. I&#8217;ve lost almost 300 games. 26 times, I&#8217;ve been trusted to take the game winning shot and missed. I&#8217;ve failed over and over and over again in my life. And that is why I succeed.\u201d<\/em><\/p>\n<p>\u2013 Michael Jordan<\/p>\n<p><em>\u201cI was set free because my greatest fear had been realized, and I still had a daughter who I adored, and I had an old typewriter and a big idea. And so rock bottom became a solid foundation on which I rebuilt my life.\u201d<\/em><\/p>\n<p>\u2013 J.K. Rowling<\/p>\n<h2>Remind Yourself of Your Past Successes&#8230;<\/h2>\n<p>Failing doesn\u2019t mean that you\u2019re worthless, or that you\u2019ll never achieve the things you want. Think of all the times in the past when you\u2019ve succeeded.<\/p>\n<p>Maybe you got a promotion that you worked for last year, or you had a great GPA in college, or you lost weight, or you learned to play a musical instrument. <strong>You might want to write down a list of successes \u2013 things that you\u2019ve accomplished over the past few years, whether big or small.<\/strong> If you ever lack confidence, you can go back and read over that list.<\/p>\n<h2>&#8230;And Your Past Failures<\/h2>\n<p>Your past successes are important &#8230; but so are your past failures. You\u2019ve made mistakes before, and you\u2019ve survived them. Perhaps you did badly in an exam, or screwed something up at work, or lost your temper and had to apologize.<\/p>\n<p><strong>It\u2019s not fun to think about the times when things went wrong, but by acknowledging your failures, you can remind yourself that today is no different.<\/strong> Just as you recovered in the past, you can recover from your recent failure too.<\/p>\n<h2>Make a Decision<\/h2>\n<p>Whatever went wrong, you\u2019re probably facing some sort of decision \u2013 even once the initial consequences are over. For instance, perhaps you took out a credit card and ended up in debt. You\u2019re facing two choices: keep using the card, or make it inaccessible in some way.<\/p>\n<p><strong>Don\u2019t rush into making hasty decisions \u2013 but do look for a forward path. That might require some deep thinking.<\/strong> You can help yourself by:<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>Getting some extra advice and support with a particular area of your life, perhaps from a professional like a doctor, personal trainer, life coach, or counselor.<\/li>\n<li>Reading and learning more, if a lack of knowledge led to your failure.<\/li>\n<li>Talking through your options with a loved one or close friend, or writing in a journal about the decision(s) that you face.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>\u201cDoing nothing\u201d is certainly an option &#8230; but it\u2019s a decision in itself, and often one that won\u2019t lead to anything positive.<\/p>\n<p>Whatever failure you\u2019re struggling with right now, you can learn from it, and move on.<\/p>\n<p><em>If you want to share your experiences or thoughts, leave a comment below.<\/em><\/p>\n<p>Photo credit: &#8216;<a href=\"http:\/\/www.bigstockphoto.com\/download\/bid-525449\/\">Anxiety<\/a>&#8216; by Big Stock<\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>No one likes to fail. Whether it\u2019s at work, at home, or in another area of your life, failure is painful \u2013 and it can also be costly in terms of time, money, or both.<\/p>\n<p>But failure is a normal part of life. If you never, ever suffer a failure, then you\u2019re probably not pushing yourself to your full potential. Often, it\u2019s only through failure that we eventually meet with success.<\/p>\n<p>Here\u2019s how to pick yourself up after you\u2019ve failed: <a href=\"https:\/\/www.pickthebrain.com\/blog\/how-to-pick-yourself-up-after-a-failure\/\">Continue reading <span class=\"meta-nav\">&rarr;<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":12163,"featured_media":10372,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_monsterinsights_skip_tracking":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_active":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_note":"","_monsterinsights_sitenote_category":0},"categories":[6,31],"tags":[174,66,4629,144,4640,1270,645,2002],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO plugin v19.1 - https:\/\/yoast.com\/wordpress\/plugins\/seo\/ -->\n<title>How to Pick Yourself Up After a Failure - Pick the Brain | Motivation and Self Improvement<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"No one likes to fail. 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Whether it\u2019s at work, at home, or in another area of your life, failure is painful \u2013 and it can also be costly in terms of time, money, or both.\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/www.pickthebrain.com\/blog\/how-to-pick-yourself-up-after-a-failure\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"Pick the Brain | Motivation and Self Improvement\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:publisher\" content=\"http:\/\/www.facebook.com\/pickthebrain\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:published_time\" content=\"2012-05-17T07:03:25+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:modified_time\" content=\"2013-09-18T17:09:46+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:image\" content=\"https:\/\/www.pickthebrain.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/03\/ptb-fb-profpic2-1.jpg\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:width\" content=\"300\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:height\" content=\"300\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:type\" content=\"image\/jpeg\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:creator\" content=\"@pickthebrain\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:site\" content=\"@pickthebrain\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:label1\" content=\"Written by\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data1\" content=\"Erin Falconer\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:label2\" content=\"Est. reading time\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data2\" content=\"4 minutes\" \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\"@context\":\"https:\/\/schema.org\",\"@graph\":[{\"@type\":\"WebSite\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.pickthebrain.com\/blog\/#website\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/www.pickthebrain.com\/blog\/\",\"name\":\"Pick the Brain | Motivation and Self Improvement\",\"description\":\"\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"SearchAction\",\"target\":{\"@type\":\"EntryPoint\",\"urlTemplate\":\"https:\/\/www.pickthebrain.com\/blog\/?s={search_term_string}\"},\"query-input\":\"required name=search_term_string\"}],\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\"},{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.pickthebrain.com\/blog\/how-to-pick-yourself-up-after-a-failure\/#primaryimage\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/www.pickthebrain.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/05\/bigstock-Anxiety-2107900.jpg\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\/\/www.pickthebrain.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/05\/bigstock-Anxiety-2107900.jpg\"},{\"@type\":\"WebPage\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.pickthebrain.com\/blog\/how-to-pick-yourself-up-after-a-failure\/#webpage\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/www.pickthebrain.com\/blog\/how-to-pick-yourself-up-after-a-failure\/\",\"name\":\"How to Pick Yourself Up After a Failure - Pick the Brain | Motivation and Self Improvement\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.pickthebrain.com\/blog\/#website\"},\"primaryImageOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.pickthebrain.com\/blog\/how-to-pick-yourself-up-after-a-failure\/#primaryimage\"},\"datePublished\":\"2012-05-17T07:03:25+00:00\",\"dateModified\":\"2013-09-18T17:09:46+00:00\",\"author\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.pickthebrain.com\/blog\/#\/schema\/person\/2da8ae162c097bdb749ab098472b4cc5\"},\"description\":\"No one likes to fail. 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