Bounce Back From Failure with the 3P Method

So you made a boo boo at work. It’s natural, and yes, it happens to the best of us. Repeat after us: With every failure comes success.

But before you can reach that pinnacle, you need to learn how to bounce back from failure so you can learn from it and more importantly, move on and grow from it. How you respond after making a mistake is crucial to this. We’re not saying to pretend it didn’t happen; in fact, acknowledging where you went wrong is the first step to success!

Urgh, but easier said than done. Especially when the mistake is colossal! While it may feel like the world is about to swallow you whole, know this – you can and will rise from your failure. Here’s what author of Be Your Own Life Coach Fiona Harrold has to say: “Life becomes very tough if we struggle with setbacks and can’t move from disappointment. Being able to bounce back from failure is a must in life.”

Her advice? The 3P approach to rebounding from a failure. Here’s what it’s all about.

#1 Perspective
Like everything, it’s all about perspective. The attitude you take over your failure will set you up to recover… or to stay stuck. Which one do you want? Of course the former. To do this, you’ll need to take a moment to think about your failure. Instead of labelling it as yet another thing you do to fail miserably, why not think of your failure as something that needs to happen for you to learn new things? And at the end of the day, just how big of a mess up is your failure anyway?

Remember this – failure is part of the process. View each failure as an opportunity to learn and grow. Take this quote from Thomas Edison (inventor of the light bulb) for inspiration: “I have not failed. I’ve just found 10,000 ways that won’t work!”

#2 Personal
The second P is important because it teaches you all about acceptance: Don’t make your failure personal. Just because you made a mistake doesn’t mean you’re a failure! Studies have shown that when you think of your failure in a negative sense as to how it affects you personally, it makes it harder to bounce back. It’s as though you’ve just settled with the idea that you’re going to fail over and over again.

Sure, you may wish that you did things differently but just because you choose the wrong decision doesn’t make you a failure. If anything, it makes you someone who’s willing to take risks and learn!

When you feel like a huge failure, do this: Think of the times when you didn’t fail. That should amount to something. Train yourself to understand that with the good comes the bad. And with the bad comes personal growth!

#3 Persevere
Imagine if Steve Jobs gave up after his first failure! There wouldn’t be these cool devices for us to use. That’s the thing with being successful – you need to persevere and work through the failures. Something worth noting is that people don’t get successful without experiencing the lows. If you feel like what you’re doing is worth it, even when there are failures, then keep on going. Persevere!

Remember that Sudirman song, Fikirkan Boleh? Make it your rise from your failure anthem! Watch it here and get inspired.

Photo by Samuel-Elias Nadler on Unsplash.