This is an excellent story on how to regain motivation after a failure.
In the early 20th century, a young boy left home searching for a brighter future. Predictably, he failed at almost everything he tried. He got fired from several jobs at different stages of his life.
But just after his 40th birthday, he got the idea to serve chicken dinners from his crib. This idea later developed into a multi-million dollar company named Kentucky Fried Chicken (KFC).
The young boy was Colonel Sanders.
Every success story is just the cherry on top of a pie laced with tears, sweat, and frustration. No great innovator had an idea or company handed them on a platter. They all had to endure massive disappointments and sometimes public embarrassment — Bill Gates, Steve Jobs, Oprah, and the list goes on.
However, one thing all these world-beaters have in common is perseverance. They never let any setback deter them from the ultimate goal.
College athletes, people in business, and college essay-writing service writers also benefit from this mentality — you win some, you lose some.
But how can you go on after getting smacked by the bitter reality of failure? How do you forge ahead when you have no motivation?
Take Some Time Off
The first thing to do after experiencing any failure is to unplug, take a step back, and understand the gravity of the situation.
Don’t hurry to course-correct because you will only aggravate the situation by making impulsive decisions.
Moreover, remembering the hurt from feeling like a failure is a good motivator.
It is like a baby experiencing the pain of a lighter’s flame. The pain and shock will condition them to identify fire as a dangerous element. And next time, they will hesitate to mess around with a lighter.
The same thing can be said for professional athletes. After any loss, the first thing they do is return home and take a vacation — let the defeat sink in. Watch your opponents make their victory lap.
This period helps you recover from the shock and appreciate the gravity of the situation. You need to embrace the pain at its peak and move on.
Be Honest with Yourself
When the dust settles, you must assess the situation.
Where did it all go wrong? Was it all my fault?
At this point, our natural reaction is always to fault someone for the mishap.
“If only they’d done their job right… If only they had played that pass earlier, I could have scored.”
But this is no time to blame other people and exigent factors. Conduct an honest, introspective evaluation of your actions leading up to the disaster.
Did you put yourself in the best position to succeed? Is it your fault that everything went to the crapper?
Recognize Where Things Fell Apart
After your personal analysis, you need to conduct a layer-by-layer evaluation of every decision.
You need to retrace your steps and find where you took the wrong turn. This evaluation will help you identify the problem and create a better approach to solving it.
If you are struggling to identify the flaw in your decision-making process, you can hire outside counsel. Don’t be afraid to ask a friend’s opinion. You can also seek expert assistance if the issue is beyond your capability.
Focus on the Positives
From the results of your in-depth analysis, you can make plans moving forward.
But take note: your body will go into self-preservation mode by reminding you how things can go wrong — like the baby with a lighter.
This reaction is normal, but you don’t have to focus on the negatives. Look at the situation and try to give a positive spin to every mistake.
Therefore, instead of convincing yourself that you are a terrible businessman, tell yourself that you are lucky to discover an ineffective way to conduct business.
Your thoughts are like the lyrics to a catchy song: if you repeat them long enough, they become part of your subconscious.
So, why not focus on the positives until they get ingrained in your psyche?
Start Planning on Your Rebound
With positive reinforcement and honest analysis, you can start planning your comeback.
Yes, you will want to hide within yourself until the world forgets your existence.
But is that a victory?
Like John Shedd once said, “A ship in harbor is safe — but that is not what ships are built for.”
We wouldn’t have sea travel today if the shipping yards gave up after the Titan sunk. Also, air transportation is still a blossoming industry despite the horrors of plane crashes.
And if you don’t think your comeback is vital to anyone, remember that your competition is hoping you will stay down.
The standing eight-count is on, and your opponent is hovering to jubilate over your misery.
Will you give them satisfaction? Why not get up and try again?
The doubt is all in your head. It would help if you gave it up at once.
How to Regain Motivation? Get Over It Already!
You must find how to motivate yourself without help from others. Remember that you are not the first person to fail, and you won’t be the last to bounce back.
The floor is not that comfy, anyway. So, get up, dust yourself down, and get ready for the next round. And who knows, you might be the next Colonel Sanders — sharing spicy buckets of joy all over the world.
In essence, you must recognize failure as part of the creative process. Sometimes, the impact is so grave that you get knocked off your feet. But true visionaries always find a reason to motivate themselves to continue swinging.Â
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