What Do We Learn From Failures
Think for a moment about a failure from your life (maybe your failure or you were the collateral damage from someone else’s failure). What pain did you experience from the failure, and what lessons did you learn because of the failure?
There are two options when we face problems or failures.
First, we can stop at the end of the failure or problem.
OR
Second, we can stop at the end of the transformation.
Genesis 50:19-21 (NLT) – But Joseph replied, “Don’t be afraid of me. Am I God, that I can punish you? 20You intended to harm me, but God intended it all for good. He brought me to this position so I could save the lives of many people. 21No, don’t be afraid. I will continue to take care of you and your children.” So he reassured them by speaking kindly to them.
Joseph of the Old Testament had some HUGE failures and problems to face (so did his siblings). Yet, Joseph allowed his problems and failures to transform his life. Learning and leveraging them every step.
Consider this prayer
“Search me, oh God, and know my heart, see if there be any wicked way in me. Lead me, oh God, on the path of righteousness. Help me, oh God, to learn from the pain of my mistakes.”
2 Tips for Growing Through a Failure
Tip One: Look to God and lay it at His feet. Ask God to help you learn from the failure the lessons that will cultivate new fruit in your life
Tip Two: Look within yourself. Who did God create you to be? What are your strengths, motivations, passions, and abilities? Hone those traits!
Normalize Failure
Start looking at problems and failures as something normal in life. The line ALWAYS goes DOWN first before it moves up in a learning curve. So don’t protest a failure in your life; lean into it and learn from it. Talk to others in your field or a life coach to help you process your failures.
Questions
What failures have I had a hard time seeing as a gift?
How might I be more invested in comfort than growth?
What can I learn that will help me in a recent failure? Be curious about your failures.
NOTES:
Cloud, Dr. Henry (2009). Changes That Heal: Four Practical Steps To A Happier, Healthier You. Zondervan Publishing.
Cloud, Dr. Henry (2006, January). Integrity, The Courage To Face The Demands Of Reality. Harper-Collins Publishing.
James M. Kouzes and Barry Z. Posner (2006). A Leader’s Legacy. Jossey-Bass Publishing.
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