7 Reasons Why We Fail
Even though We Don’t Have To
“In any case, you mustn’t confuse a single failure with a final defeat.” — Scott Fitzgerald
We all can fail or succeed, we all can pursue our dreams if we choose. Some will rather play it safe and do what they hate for a living, while others like to live on the edge, taking risk after risk. The adrenaline rush comes not from playing it safe, but from playing it hardcore, risking it all, and with the possibility of failure.
Everyone has faced their own failures, but what sets them apart is how we get back up from these failures. By understanding why we fail can allow us to understand how to succeed.
If I only know now what I knew back then, things would be much different
This motto of regretful failure has been embedded in our subconscious minds to make us complicit in inaction. There’s no time like the present to take action against a sea of troubles.
Failure is not final, although many of us will believe it. It’s only when you’ve given up on trying that you have given up on life and you regret every single mistake you’ve made. The past is over there is no point in returning to it just to say what could’ve been or what you would’ve done. It’s all over. Period.
But you know what is not over?
The present, it’s just getting started.
What we do now will affect the future, so just focus on the now and create a better tomorrow.
Lack of Passion
Are you in it to win it?
Probably the number one crucial reason we fail is we just aren’t into it that much. If we were in it to win it, then the thought of giving up wouldn’t even cross our minds.
Passion is fuel for motivation in whatever struggling endeavor you may find yourself in. Without passion, there is no desire to keep going. Passionate people are always looking at what can be, rather than what it is. Don’t accept circumstances because of a failure, change them because of adversity.
Nobody is passionate about failing, but the lack of passion will mean failure.
Studies show 85% of people in the workforce hate their jobs. This is most likely due to not having too much passion, but a lack of passion. Find something that doesn’t seem like work and you’ll never have to work a day in your life.
Lack of Knowledge
You’re not stupid, stupid is a stupid word!
Clearly, knowledge is power, and who controls such knowledge has a great responsibility. Learn the essential skills that will help you get ahead in your career.
If you want to become a doctor, go to med school or a lawyer go to law school.
Some people confuse the appearance of looking smart with being smart, well they’re not. Know the difference between the two and find the desire to learn for learning sake.
Develop a learning mindset that embraces challenges and doesn’t know the meaning of giving up. Don’t feel threatened by the success of others, get inspired.
Underqualified Skills
Comeback When you have 10 years of experience for this minimum wage entry-level job
What confuses me the most are these beginner jobs where you need a ton of experience which means almost no one coming out of college will qualify for and those who qualify and are already in the field will not be applying for a job that is below them.
It sounds ridiculous, but some jobs that anyone can require an insane amount of industry experience, even when the job is getting coffee for the boss.
You’ve heard it before “you can do anything you want, as long as it’s legal,” but what you’re not told is you need to have the skills required to do what you want.
Without the skills then it’s just wishful thinking, a daydream that needs to be woken up already.
No Luck, Chuck
Sometimes it’s just about the right place at the right time.
When you are at the wrong place at the wrong time, do not let it be an excuse for your failure. Find the right place and right time to increase your chances of success.
For instance, if you are a photographer, capturing that moment in time is a one-shot take you will never get another chance to redo it sure they will be similar shots, but it will never be the original.
Or if you are a stockbroker, then go to wall street, surround yourself with people that know what they’re doing, and wait for the right chance to invest.
Lucky Or Talented? Or Both?
Luck is important for success, but it’s not the only thing. Those talented will still need a bit of luck to take advantage of their assets.
When John D Rockefeller struck oil on their land, it wasn’t about intelligence or a passion of theirs. It was luck, however, luck was not everything. Combined with their luck and entrepreneurship, the Rockefellers could market and produce oil to a global economy.
Making Excuses
But it was his fault…
There is a difference between using logical reasoning on why something failed and making excuses don’t confuse the two.
In order to succeed, we need to accept failure for the way things were, not the way we want to look at them.
To put it simply excuses hold you back from realizing any potential because in your mind you’ve already lost.
Use reasoning to understand these failures, then you will make better judgment decisions in the future.
Blaming Others
In school, it’s common for students to blame the teacher for not teaching the subject right, which is why they don’t understand it.
Instead of making excuses on why you don’t understand something, instead, just look it up online, do your own research and ask the right questions.
Instead, take responsibility for your faults, understand them and realize they can change if you allow it.
When you fail, the only person you should blame is yourself.
Repeating Mistakes
Fool me twice, shame on… shame on….?
As Bush once wisely said, “There’s an old saying in Tennessee — I know it’s in Texas, probably in Tennessee — that says, fool me once, shame on, shame on you. You Fool me — you can’t get fooled again.”
No, you certainly can not. I think.
Honestly, Bush made a bit of a mistake while trying to make a point in this quote and it wasn’t the first of his Bushisms (bad public speaking).
Everyone makes mistakes, but repeating those same mistakes is both tragic and preventable.
Especially in public speaking, we do this with people around us all the time.
If we are aware of what went wrong and plan on what to say before we say it, then the mistake can be avoided.
Relationship mistakes:
Other mistakes are more toxic than others.
Toxic relationships with people who are always lying, cheating, and manipulating is clearly a mistake to be around.
Distance from them, cut them off, don’t feel bad for giving up on them when they already gave up on you.
Sometimes we just have to listen and follow our intuition to know what is right and correct those mistakes.
Poor Self-Esteem
Fake it until you make it
Low self-esteem is probably one of the most detrimental reasons we fail. It will affect most how we live our lives. Having low self-esteem creates anxiety, depression, and self-doubt, fears, stress, insecurities, it makes it hard to make friends and creates a poor academic performance in school.
Low self-esteem makes it impossible to deal with normal levels of frustration. They will be obsessively compulsive over the little things and turn them into a big deal. They feel like the world is watching them when no one is.
High Self-esteem is about being confident in your own personal and professional life. They deal with stress regularly and know how to keep a cool level of mind in intense situations.
Traits of High Self-esteem people
- Eliminate Negative Self-Doubt
- Cultivate a Habit of Gratitude
- Manage Expectations
- Spend Time with the Right People
- Know how to be Assertive
The best way to overcome low self-esteem is to fake it until you make it. Just by pretending that you have high self-esteem is enough to fool others and yourself until one day you actually do.
Final Thoughts and Take away
So why do we fail?
- Lack of Passion
- Lack of Knowledge
- Underqualified
- Unlucky
- Excuse
- Repeating Mistakes
- Low self-esteem
There are many reasons we fail, it’s only natural. Human beings aren’t perfect, therefore we are flawed individuals that will fail every time. It is only by understanding why we fail how we can succeed.
