Can we prevent failure?
CAN we prevent failure? Yes. and no.
The simple answer is – if you are ‘aware’ you can prevent failure. If you are ‘unaware’ you will not be able to prevent failure unless luck is on your side. Failure and success are constructs of your mind, derived from what you have learnt about them over time. You have probably watched your movies, peers, teachers, parents and extended family and heard their versions of what success and failure are. And based on those experiences mostly, you have made up your ‘own’ version of success and failure.
So the question is – what is pure failure and pure success? You know the versions that have not been tailored to suit the needs of others.
My truth about success and failure
My truth about success and failure resonate from my level of awakening in this life. About three to four years ago, success for me was having a big house, well-settled family, lots of moolah to go around, multiple travel expeditions, spaced out yoga and wellness retreats and the ability to buy whatever I needed or wanted. Based on that definition I was definitely not successful. Not a failure yet because admitting to myself that I was a failure was like dying from the inside.
Today, however, my idea of success is simply my ability to be present to life in this moment. What I have or do not have is important but it does not define how I view myself. The amount of money I have does not define my self-worth. The number of people I talk to regularly does not create true connection for me and not yet achieved goals do not make me a failure.
So, in all honesty, nobody can or should tell you what success and failure mean. You need to define those constructs at your level of awakening. If you feel that having cash in the bank is success, then thats right for you. If you feel having deep and meaningful relationships is what defines success then that’s correct for you.
A piece of advise: don’t be too hard on yourself. You are doing the best you can at this level of awakening. If you want to do better and truly enjoy life for what it has to offer, focus on personal development every single day.
What does being 'aware' mean?
If you are aware within your being, you will feel more connected to the truth that is you. Being in close connection to your truth will help you navigate life easier than if you were far off from your life’s truth. Basically you will struggle less and when faced with obstacles you will learn to find solutions easily.
And by expanding your awareness to such a degree that you are one with the source that created you (some call this source God, I call this source, the creator), you will most likely not be affected by traditional or your own views of success and failure.
On the other hand, if you are ‘unaware’ and are sleep-walking through life, in that, things are happening to you, you will only encounter perceived failure and perceived success. That is, failure and success that you experience will be defined by everyone but you. And these mind-made constructs of success and failure will affect you the way you believe they should.
To become more aware in your life, learn to become present. Here is my post about “steps to take to become more present in your life“.
What is your definition of Success and failure?
In an ideal world, success and failure should not matter. But that is not real or practical for most people. This makes it imperative for you to define failure and success according to your higher purpose.
Assuming you know what your higher purpose is, you can easily define success and failure for yourself. If your higher purpose is to serve through your business, success would mean being able to serve and failure would mean not being able to serve. To be successful, every action you take or every thought that crosses your mind, should enable you to serve even more. And if your actions and thoughts are not empowering you to serve, you need to look at those “perceived failures” as stepping stones to improving the way you act and think. Or you can take advantage of the failure by teaching others how NOT to serve.
You can choose to perceive success and failure within situations (good or bad). “Success and failure do not have the power to choose you”.
It is important to remember that one success or one failure does not make you a success or failure. Aren’t you more than the sum of all your current actions?
Steps to prevent failure
Failure and success go hand in hand. Failure can lead to success once you study the failure. And success can lead to failure if you get too attached to your success. After you decide what failure means for you, you can think of strategies to prevent failure if you choose.
It is always a good idea to manage risk related to your actions as you have limited energy and resources even to stay on course to fulfill your purpose. Here are some simple things to keep in mind so you can prevent failure/manage risk.
1. Understand that a failed situation (in the past) does not define you. You are more than the sum of your failures or successes or both.
2. Learn from a past failure and then move on. Learn why something did not work out. And then let go of that situation and the emotions attached to it.
3. Analysis, without paralysis. Manage risk as well as you can before taking any action.
4. Align with your higher purpose by strengthening your intuition.
5. Be purposeful about whatever you are doing. Give the task at hand, your best shot. Improvise, don’t quit at the first sign of failure.
6. Strive for neutrality. This simply means to take action without attachment to the outcome.
7. Work to improve your thought patterns daily. Take consistent steps for self-growth – doing that daily is a huge success.
The truth about failure
Failure can become an advantage if you choose to perceive it as such. If I didn’t fail at life by getting sick, failing at a business, losing many loved ones to broken relationships, sucking at being a mom, being hateful towards myself etc., I would not have had the opportunity to breakthrough my karmic cycle. Let me explain. I was going through life thinking life is tough and I am supposed to suffer through it. Which I was.
My perceived failures taught me that my life sucked because I was being a victim to my circumstances. I was not taking control of my responses to all these unfortunate situations. I was reacting to them from my existing thought patterns.
When I decided to take back control and disrupt my karmic cycle, I also realized that I was the only person that had the power to change how these circumstances affected me. Becoming self-aware was the first step I took to healing my body, my relationship with my children and myself.
Avoiding failure is avoiding life
I am grateful for failure because it has helped me become my true self. Because I finally stopped trying to prevent failure, I am finally on my spiritual path. From all the mistakes I made, I ended up learning about how to live my best life, about karma and its role in my life, about free will and my ability to create a new path for myself. My mistakes (MISSED TAKE) enabled me to finally take back control of my life.
In fact I would not trade the perceived failure for anything because it triggered many realizations that enabled my growth. And there is nothing more satisfying than being in alignment with your authentic self.
