So you failed. Now, what?

Failing does not make you a failure, but if you keep telling yourself otherwise, you are most likely to become one. Recognizing whether you are a failure or not is easy. You know you are a failure when you fail to learn from what just happened and/or you can't confront the subsequent situation. However, overcoming a failure is another story.

For some, recovering from a failure is a huge struggle as ego gets in the way. When a person fails, he or she is his or her own enemy. One smart way to cope is to not let your emotionality cloud or impede logical analysis. Think more like an overseer than an involved person. That way you can manifest an aura of progress, improvement, alleviation, success and whatnot. Bring out that person in you who gives sound advice to friends or colleagues. If you notice, every time you do so, you can only look forward, onward.

Another way is to think positive; i.e. not just plain, naive optimism but with logic and a touch of pragmatism. Plan your next move; then strike a balance between the pros and cons of possible consequences. Lean towards the positive side but never ignore the fact that with every advantage, there are always disadvantages. It's always cool when you can predict what's going to happen next because you're always ready for your next move. Yet, if after applying the wisdom you've learned so far to your next move, you fail again, don't be discouraged. Take time to analyze the situation, highlighting the angles where things could have gone wrong, and then try a different approach. Do not be afraid to try but remember to learn something from each trial. After all, the more you gain, the more you have to lose.

So, at the end of the day, it's not about the number of failure you've made. It's all about what you've learned from them, and when I say "learned", I mean how you apply the lessons you've learned when you face a similar situation. So far, life has taught me that the terms "failing" and "learning" may not be necessarily synonymous and I temper the view that failure can be associated directly to learning. Two things play a significant role to connect them: time and wisdom.