The feeling of losing a sports tournament, failing a test, not achieving time-sensitive goals, etc., can be gut-wrenching for most. We often see children at the receiving end of these feelings because failure is inevitable at different points of their learning journey. However, what makes a difference is how they respond to these failures instead of reacting.
We at Delhi Public School Kangra, ranked among the top 10 CBSE schools in Kangra, have interacted with many students to understand their journey and found they all could have done one thing differently to effortlessly navigate their most challenging periods, i.e., using failures as their stepping stone to success.
We understand it may be one of those ‘easier said than done’ statements, but trust us, it works like magic in real life. We firmly believe that no one can stop students who learn from their failures and bounce back stronger. If you struggle with handling failures, implement the following techniques for notable improvements.
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Reframe Failure as a Learning Opportunity
There’s no denying the fact that all of us come across failures at some or the other point in life. If we let it overpower our desire to succeed, we will have a tough time navigating it. Hence, we recommend changing your perspective on things you cannot change and embracing a winner’s mindset instead. You can learn a lot from J.K. Rowling in this regard. Numerous publications rejected her book ‘Harry Potter’ before it was accepted and became a global bestseller.
So, if you ever get disappointing scores, practice what J.K. Rowling did – not stopping and learning from her failure. You can start by journaling your failure and identifying what you learned from this experience. Find out what concepts seemed challenging, what study methods didn’t work, etc. The more you brainstorm while journaling, the more insights you’ll get. Use them to improve your efforts for the next test and see the improvement.
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Develop Emotional Resilience
At Delhi Public School Kangra, we firmly believe that emotional resilience can help you bounce back from even the most challenging setbacks, aiding your forward movement. If you have never worked on your emotional aspect before, begin by acknowledging and understanding your emotions. Even if you feel defeated and frustrated, accept these emotions, but don’t dwell on them for long. Whenever you face failure, set a fixed time where you allow yourself to feel, acknowledge, and validate your feelings.
Then, shift your focus on things you can control and start taking inspired actions. You can also make positive self-talk a part of your daily routine to build emotional resilience. Instead of saying, ‘I’m not good enough at sports,’ say, ‘I’m not good enough at sports yet, but I know I can improve.’ Such simple changes can profoundly impact your life. It is exactly what Michael Jordan did when he was removed from his school basketball team. He focused on channeling his inner motivation and practiced relentlessly until he became the best in this field.
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Seeking Support and Feedback
It is a myth that winners succeed alone. Regardless of where you are in your learning journey, you will always need constant support and constructive feedback for continuous growth. If you’ve been constantly scoring less in subjects, we encourage you to seek support from your teachers, friends, mentors, trainers, etc. Their feedback will help you identify the improvement areas, accelerating your growth pace.
Whenever you hesitate to seek support, always remind yourself that every expert was once a beginner. Even Steve Jobs relied on support and feedback from his early years. He once cold-called Bill Hewlett, co-founder of Hewlett-Packard (HP), for asking for spare parts to build a frequency counter. This proactive approach landed him an internship with HP.
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Develop Grit and Perseverance
Nothing can substitute the profound impact of grit and perseverance in your life. It will take you far ahead in your journey, showering you with massive success. Colonel Sanders, KFC’s founder, is the best example of it. He started his franchise business in his 60s and refused to give up on initial failures. It resulted in him creating a massively successful global brand that everyone loves.
We at Delhi Public School Kangra would like to recommend students to learn grit and perseverance from the likes of Colonel Sanders by embracing a long-term perspective. You must build consistent habits that support your goals. Students can start by creating a study routine and sticking to it, even on days when it feels challenging. Start with smaller commitments, like 30 minutes of focused study time, and then continue expanding every day.
Conclusion
If you talk to any children, or adults for that matter, everyone will accept facing failures at various times and forms. While you cannot avoid experiencing failure, you can certainly control how it affects you and your life. At Delhi Public School Kangra, one of the top 10 CBSE schools in Kangra, we firmly believe that anyone who starts viewing failure as an inevitable and normal part of life continues to thrive. They don’t get scared of failure anymore and make efforts to transform setbacks into learning opportunities. Hence, if you want to emerge stronger from every failure you experience, take a positive approach and start implementing the tips discussed in this blog post.