3 Ways Failure Leads To Success

You learn through every failure.

Several months ago I decided to train for a marathon. It was a crazy decision since I’ve only run two races in my life, a 5K, and a 15K. Still, I printed the training schedule and followed it religiously. When I began this journey, I was running fifteen miles a week. Now I’m up to thirty-one. I knew at some point I was going to fail.

Well, it happened on my long run of week 11. I made it 15 miles. Usually, no matter how tired I am the last mile of my run is a celebration because I know I’ve done it. Not this time. I hit a wall I couldn’t break through. I knew if I pushed myself I’d collapse. Frustrated and dizzy I stopped a mile short of my goal. It took me two and half hours to recover. As I sat on my couch, legs stretched out, exhausted, I wondered how I’d ever be able to run 26.2 miles. I was close to giving up. As I began to feel better, I analyzed what happened. I hadn’t eaten enough the night before or the hours before my long run. Sips of Gatorade mixed with water couldn’t sustain me for the hours it took to run 15 miles. Being vegetarian, it was also likely my iron levels were too low. So, for the next long run I will make sure I’ve taken in extra calories, eaten lots of spinach, and I’ll invest in energy chews. My failure to succeed on week 11 should lead to my success for weeks 12 and 13.  I will try again.

You learn to pick yourself back up, and that leads to taking more risks. Falling down isn’t so scary!

At the same time I’m training for this marathon, I’m also, editing my first young adult novel. I’ve written it several times and given it to an editor. After this final edit, I will begin querying agents which can be a daunting process riddled with rejection. Each rejection feels like a failure. Writers have to be able to pick themselves back up and carry on. Just like I’ve learned what I needed to be successful on my next long run, I will learn from each rejection. If my story doesn’t connect with readers, I must go back, take a look at my work, and revise again. Rejection letters don’t frighten me as much as they once did. I know I will keep trying until my story is good enough, and I find the person who believes in the story and my writing.

You learn to believe in yourself.

When you fail enough, get up brush yourself off, and begin again until you succeed, you learn to believe in yourself. Guess what happens then?  Soon you’re accomplishing things you never thought you could. My family laughs at me when they hear me say, “I only have to run 4 miles today.” Rewriting a novel many times seems commonplace, necessary, part of the process. I’m learning to take on more challenges because I understand that even if I fail I still will have grown more than had I never tried.

“Failure, repeated failures, are finger posts on the road to achievement. One fails forward toward success.” C.S. Lewis