You spend weeks studying for a test and still fail. You give 100% during practice, but somehow manage to make a fool out of yourself at every game. You’ve done everything in your ability to prepare for a job interview, but you get a call a couple weeks later saying they have found someone else. Sound familiar? We’ve all been there. At this point, it’s pretty easy to start questioning if your goals are even worth the amount of effort you are putting into achieving them. However, before you get too discouraged, there are a few things you should keep in mind when failure is making you feel worthless.
1: You are not defined by your numbers.
We tend to draw our sense of personal value from the numbers that have been assigned to us. However, numerical measurements, whether your GPA, SAT score, Instagram followers, bench press record or financial standings, are not representative of who you are as hardworking person. There are so many things about yourself that you cannot quantify, such as your perseverance, how thoughtful you are or how much you care. We look to numbers because they are easy to understand and can help build us up, but when we get a bad one, it breaks us down. It is important to remember not to reduce ourselves down to a mere set of numbers.
2: You are not making any progress if you are comfortable.
To see any sort of growth, you will need to push yourself. Improvement requires change and change is only possible if you are willing to abandon your normal routine. You must come to terms with the discomfort you feel when working towards something that can potentially become your everything – or nothing. This leap of faith is one of the most difficult obstacles when it comes to progress, but it is this conscious effort that will reap the most benefits in the long run.
3: The experience you gain along the way is invaluable.
Although life throws obstacles in our path and they seem to be hindering us, it is important to recognize the value of experience, which comes from both success and failure. Realizing that mistakes are only a part of the battle towards your ultimate goal, allows you to move forward with more confidence than before. By trying and trying again, you are breaking the boundaries created by the fear of falling short. With every failed attempt, you become better equipped for anything you decide to take on in the future.
4: Satisfaction comes from personal growth.
Progress is not rewarding if it is easy. Knowing that you have put forth everything you have to offer is far more fulfilling than the actual upshot of it all. An empire cannot be built in a day and once it is built, the work doesn’t stop there. So cherish the journey. Enjoy the climb. Mastery is a commitment to continually pursue your goals, not a promise that they will be met. It is all about trying to bridge the gap between what you want and where you currently stand; whether or not those two ends actually meet is irrelevant, because true satisfaction will come from a conceptual ending, not a material one.
