Turning failure into fuel for success: how to do it

Experiencing failure is one of the hardest battles a person can face in their life. Whether that be seeing a business not take off or getting fired from your dream job, our setbacks can not only discourage us from truly chasing what we want but it can also affect our mental health if we’re not careful.

They say experience is our biggest teacher in life, which is true in so many ways. Without opening yourself up to different opportunities, you shut yourself from the possibility of finding success in your life. It’s important to have an open mind, especially when it comes to building the career path you’ve envisioned since the very beginning.

Eric S Burdon writes, “A failure is never truly a failure unless you refuse to learn from it. Even though some failures can cut deep and can be devastating, there are always lessons in there.”

Taking from Burdon’s words, the silver lining of our failures comes from the lessons we take away from them. We oftentimes get tunnel vision when envisioning our dreams, however, the timing may not work in our favour or there are other factors to consider that stand in the way. While the light at the end of the tunnel seems far away, it’s worth keeping a positive attitude to help us move along to better opportunities.

Turning failure into success doesn’t take a day to do, so it’s best to take the right steps to find your space of inspiration and goals that encourage you to be the best version of yourself. If you’re struggling to find motivation in your current situation, here are some tips that can help you look at failure as fuel to success.

How to find success in failure

1. When the odds are against you, push through anyway.
2. Realise your passion and go for it.
3. Believe in your own vision.

1. When the odds are against you, push through anyway.

Ariana Huffington’s second book, Huffington Post empire, was rejected by a total of 36 publishers before it eventually became an official publication. Even when the Huffington Post came into fruition, it was met with a lot of negative comments from people who didn’t trust its true potential. Now, it’s one of the most successful online publications reporting on popular culture, world news, opinion pieces and more.

One of the key takeaways to this is that even the most successful people in the world have had their fair share of push backs. Despite the many rejections Huffington faced, a quality that can be admired from this is that she was able to keep her head up and persist through the challenge of not getting accepted. It’s important to realise that even when the odds seem like they’re against you, it only takes one person to say yes.

2. Realise your passion and go for it.

When you’re in a new job, you obviously want to impress your new colleagues and manager, but what happens if you aren’t the “right fit” and end up being let go from the team prematurely?

You’re not alone when it comes to this scenario because Steve Jobs, one of the founders of multi-billion dollar company Apple, was fired from the company initially. However, he still remained passionate and worked on other ventures such as NeXT and Pixar, which eventually lead him to becoming the CEO of Apple.

Steve Jobs said, “Getting fired from Apple was the best thing that could have ever happened to me.” 

If you’re passionate about a project or particular career path, you have the potential to do great things if you put in the time, effort and commitment. When it comes to certain projects, you need to have the patience to be able to see the outcomes of your efforts, good and bad.

Following what you’re truly passionate about can help you grow into a more self-assured professional that knows no bounds. If we value ourselves, we’re able to put that energy towards the work that gives us meaning, leading to a more fruitful career.

3. Believe in your own vision.

Competition can be tough out there, but it doesn’t have to be if you have the confidence to beat to your own drum. This is exactly what happened to founder of Hershey’s Chocolate, Milton Hershey. He experienced a couple of setbacks such as being let go from his apprenticeship and saw the endings of three candy-related ventures he started. 

In one last attempt of starting a business, Hershey founded the Lancaster Caramel Company and was starting to see positive results. Eventually, his strong vision for milk chocolate saw the launch of the Hershey Company, now a well-known brand in the chocolate industry.

Imagine if Hershey gave up on his dreams of being an entrepreneur; the chocolate industry would look a little different. He has now left a legacy for chocolate lovers around the world. Without the belief in his own vision, the Hershey Company would cease to exist.

A key takeaway from Hershey’s past experiences is to never let your mistakes get in the way of what you truly believe in, even if you go through setback after setback. As cliche as it sounds, nothing worth having comes easy and if all of us gave up when things become difficult, we are less likely to reap the rewards of success. Don’t doubt your potential. You have what it takes to find success despite your shortcomings.

Find success in education

Ready to take the necessary steps to help progress your career? Study a course with Upskilled and choose from a wide range of qualifications in business, community services and IT. Most courses can be completed within 12 months and are delivered online, meaning you have the flexibility to undertake your studies around your work and personal life. Get in touch with Upskilled and enquire on a qualification today.