As college students at a renowned university with high expectations, it is probable we fail from time to time. With cumulative exams, final projects, written essays and oral presentations, there are times we falter and fall short of expectations.

In addition to our occasional blunders in the classroom, we may make big mistakes in other areas of our lives — in leadership roles, on the court, in obtaining internships and employment after graduation. The list goes on.

Too often, we allow these errors and consequences to make us feel like we are letting ourselves, others and the world down, leaving little hope for future successes. But it is an important sign of success when we do not take our mistakes personally, nor allow our minds to trick us into believing we are failures.

In author John Maxwell’s book “Failing Forward,” he lays out the trajectory many people take after making an irreversible mistake that results in failure at a certain task. People too often consider themselves a complete failure because of one failure, lose their confidence, give up and never try again. These people are too quick to label single life events with poor outcomes as ultimate failures, and are blinded by the negativity of their feelings to see the bigger picture of their goals. This mindset impairs people’s ability to achieve.  

Maxwell details many successful figures in history — Wolfgang Mozart, Vincent van Gogh and Albert Einstein — who gained fame in their own right after failing or being regarded as failures. But these achievers persevered in spite of that. What made them successful was how they reacted to their failures.

“The difference between the average people and achieving people is their perception of and response to failure,” Maxwell writes.

Maxwell outlines seven abilities of achievers that enable them to keep moving forward in the face of failure: rejecting rejection, seeing failure as temporary, seeing failure as isolated incidents, keeping expectations realistic, focusing on strengths, varying approaches to achievement and always bouncing back.  

In contrast, he writes, people who fear failure get stuck in inaction, causing paralysis, procrastination and purposelessness. Inaction leads to inexperience, and inexperience leads to inability, which ultimately cycles back to fuel more fear within the individual. The best way to break this cycle is to simply act, instead of waiting for the feelings of fear to disappear. Once one gets a head start on acting, positive feelings and motivation are more likely to follow.

The ability to look beyond failure and to continue achieving is essential to overcome one of life’s biggest challenges. This skill is not taught in school; in fact, traditional education models may in fact reinforce our worst thoughts and counterproductive feelings about failure. So how can someone learn this critical life lesson?

One must understand and prepare for failure.

Failure is a process, not a single life event. It must be realized, faced and looked in the eye with bravery. One must carry forward while embracing the process of failure, stronger and more determined, not weakened and low-spirited. When one opens him or herself to the process of failure, doors to success open and the potential to overcome problems, mistakes and misfortunes grows. It is this ability that differentiates the “average” from the “achievers,” as the achievers continue to see opportunity where others many not see any, even in the face of failure.

Though it may appear seemingly impossible to stay optimistic in the face of failure, it is certainly achievable. Overcoming failure becomes easier as one becomes more comfortable and confident in his or her abilities, skills and strengths. Several methods may also help one reframe the initial insult when one fails at a certain task.

Keeping a gratitude log is an instrumental method one may find useful. After a setback, it is important to keep the mistake in perspective of everything positive in one’s life, including one’s favorable traits, accomplishments and natural strengths. Reading or saying purposeful affirmations is another method that may be helpful. Repeating positive statements can assist one in reinforcing and maintaining an optimistic frame of thought so failure does not overcome one’s thinking or emotions.

Failure is not the enemy to be feared; it is simply an unavoidable price one must pay along the path to progress. Shifting one’s mindset in regards to failure is the key. Once one realizes these important values, failure becomes a fuel to drive one toward success. People who “fail forward” are able to see failure as a normal part of life, and use failure to their advantage to learn from their mistakes.  

As students, we can view our setbacks in intelligent ways, and gain a newfound sense of comfort and self-assurance in the process. I encourage you to redefine the meaning of failure for yourself, and to grow from all of your failures. Approach each day with reasonable expectations knowing that everything will not go perfectly, and that is not necessarily a bad thing.

As Washington Irving once wrote, “Little minds are subdued by misfortunes, but great minds rise above them.”

Paria Sanaty Zadeh ([email protected]) is a third-year health professions student studying pharmacy.