Don't Fear The F Word

“People view failure as the villain to success, when in reality, failure is just part of the journey to get there.” – Ryan Leak

We will fail from time to time, that is a fact.  The problem with failing is that many do not embrace what failure can teach you.  You’ve likely heard quotes about success and how hard work and determination will lead to it.  Although this can be true, the same can be said about failure.  You can work hard, be determined, and still fail.  Also, a fact.  We’re taught that failure is not an option, but it absolutely is an option and can be the pathway that truly leads us to success.

The transition process from the military is a major life change.  Service members get used to a very specific lifestyle and way of doing things.  A key element of the transition process if figuring out how you will apply the skills you learned in the military to a new career outside the military.  This can be scary.  Do we stay in our field, or do we change to something new?  Do we start our own business or work for a private company?  All these decisions require our attention but can be impacted by a fear of failing.  Are you willing to follow your dreams or is the fear of failing keeping you from following your heart?

It is important that we adopt the correct mindset during transition to fight the fear of failure.  We can fight this fear by adopting an F³ mentality; Fail, Failing, and Failure.  The F³ mentality is:

1. It is OK to Fail
2. Failing Forward is Key
3. Chase Failure to Success

It is OK to Fail

Failure happens all the time.  All successful people have stories of failure that contributed or led to their success.  Mentally prepare yourself that you will fail from time to time, it’s OK.  When you mentally prepare yourself for the fact that you will fail at some point, you prepare yourself for growth.  When failure strikes you will be impacted, but your mental preparedness will enable you to rebound quicker and start looking for the lessons in the failure.

Failing Forward is Key

Everyone fails at one point or another in their lives.  The key is to learn and grow from that failure, not to wallow in the failure.  There is so much we can learn from a failure; the key is to spend some time evaluating the failure.  Figure out what worked and what didn’t.  Figure out what you need to change or implement to potentially succeed.   If you conduct an in-depth after-action review, you can exponentially increase what you learn from a failure.  When we learn and grow from our failures, we take actionable steps towards being successful.

Chase Failure to Success

Build a growth mindset that allows you to chase failure.  Be open to new ideas and challenges.  By chasing failure, you are ensuring that you never reminisce on what could have been.    Sometimes you will experience failure allowing you to grow.  Other times you will succeed growing through new opportunities.  Either way you win and the willingness to chase failure will prevent you from ever being stagnant.

We’ve been taught that failure is not an option, that’s simply not true.  Failure happens all the time, the difference is whether a person learns and grows from a failure.  In his book Chasing Failure, Ryan Leak asks the question “What would you do if you knew you couldn’t fail?”  Think about that for a minute!  What would you do if it was guaranteed that you could not fail at something?  If we knew we couldn’t fail, we would all chase our dreams and do something that truly makes us happy.  How powerful is that?  Have you ever listened to someone talk about what they do or an organization they are a part of, and you can just feel the excitement.  Every part of them is smiling from their facial expressions to their gestures.  They are excited about what they are telling you and you can feel that.  That is what this question is having you figure out.

Think about what makes you happy and excites you.  Now ask yourself why you aren’t doing that now?  When you do something, you are passionate about, you pour everything into it and work hard to be successful.  When you decide to transition from the military, service members should ask themselves this very question.  This question could lead to the answer that many of us struggle with as we transition.  Too many of us just don’t know what we want to do next, but we all have things we love to do.  Why not make them one in the same?  The answer to this question can reveal your purpose; what you are supposed to be doing next.  Don’t let the fear of failing cause you to not chase your dreams.  Be fearless, be happy, be successful.

Shawn Welsh is the Founder and Co-Host of the VET S.O.S. Podcast.  The show features information and resources about veteran support organizations and key personnel in the veteran support community.  With a passion for helping others, he started VET S.O.S. to provide a lifeline to veterans, transitioning service members and military spouses.

Shawn is a retired U.S. Army veteran with over twenty years of experience as an intelligence professional.  As a senior noncommissioned officer, he was dedicated to taking care of his Soldiers and continues that mission today with VET S.O.S.  Shawn holds several advanced degrees including a Master’s Degree in administrative leadership from the University of Oklahoma.  A member of the Maxwell Leadership Team, Shawn is also a certified resiliency trainer who lives in Jacksonville, Florida with his wife and their two children.

Contact Info:

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/shawnwelsh00/

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Email: shawn.welsh00@gmail.com

Header Image Credit: Andrea Piacquadio. Find it here.