Note: This article is from blogger Levi King, who shares his personal experience dealing with failure.
At Lendio, one of the former companies I co-founded, my partner and I put a lot of effort into a project, and I expected it to work very quickly, but it didn't. We lost more than $1 million in the first few months of starting the project, and things have worsened since then. It took us two years to get back on track, but the psychological and physical losses have been so great.
Five suggestions to keep you safe when things get tough
Difficult times require thoughtful action. Therefore, here are five suggestions to keep you safe and mentally strong when things get tough:
1. Don't pity yourself
When faced with a bad failure, we naturally tend to feel sorry and have compassion for ourselves. You might try to cover up your anxiety and lack of confidence with cynicism and pessimism, start blaming those around you for the chaos you experience, and wonder why stupid people surround you.
No matter how you feel about yourself, feeling pity makes you look bad. Instead of seeing things from an objective perspective, you will see yourself as a victim, so before the situation deteriorates further, take the necessary action and know that you are not the first entrepreneur to suffer a major failure and will not be the last person.
Focus on what you can control. Early on, as an entrepreneur, I realized that my credit profile can give me many opportunities, but I have to take care of them.
2. Give the problem its normal size
We, humans, tend to see everything as stressful when we are feeling very stressed, and this is an emotional response. You can correct it by giving the problem its actual size. If my marriage, my children, my friends, the activities I do, or my duties make me feel good before failing, there is no reason to change that feeling. I may feel a lot of stress, but they are not the reason, but it is work.
Minimize the things that make you feel stressed, and remind yourself of all the good things you have in your life. When I have a bad day, I go home sure that my kids still love me. We must remember the blessings that the Lord has always bestowed on us in light of the current crises we face. This advice is not an invitation to pretend that everything is good, but rather an appeal to balance our human tendency to focus on negativity with qualitative and necessary changes.
3. Live life right
Even though massive failures require tremendous attention, don't allow work to overcome anything else. It's tempting to do this because it gives you a sense of control when feeling powerless. But at this point, work dominates you, not the contrary.
When counting your blessings, you can control yourself. So, take time to live your life in a good way. For me, the best ways to decompress from work pressures are to spend time with my family and watch a movie with a friend.
Our brains are like muscles. Failures push us to work harder, and if we don't allow ourselves to recover and overcome those failures, we will feel exhausted.
4. Keep inspiring
I remember how I felt after reading the biography by Ashlee Vance about entrepreneur Elon Musk. I had to stop slouching and to do critical things in my life. Also, I had to be farsighted, think more, and take better steps than usual. Reading that biography has been a motivation for me.
When faced with a failure, remind yourself of the stories of people who have built and done amazing things in life. I'm not talking about the inspirational quotes you see on social media platforms, but I'm talking about the stories of creators and leaders who found themselves in the same place you are now and made their way.
You can listen to an audiobook that gives you positive energy on your way to work instead of thinking about your difficulties, and the same applies to exercise, where you can regain your energy and use your time to listen to what benefits you.
5. Learn from your mistakes
Failures create new opportunities to refocus your life and build good habits. Don't wait to relive past events to realize what those failures are doing for you. Be aware of that today.
Imagine that you are preparing to present a lecture at the TED Foundation in the coming months, so your lecture talks about how you have overcome the current difficulties.
Then, you start taking notes, wondering: How did you get here? So, what will you do to remember what happened to you in the past? If you can't remember the above, what steps will you take to move forward efficiently? Don't forget the psychological aspects as well. Careful and honest analysis of your mental processes when facing frustration and failure will adjust your thinking and help you eliminate bad habits and pave the way for a prosperous future.
There is no magic formula for restoring your energy after any failure, and it will not happen overnight; it is like a wound that will heal over time. So, take advantage of your current time to improve your work and yourself.
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