Failures, Errors and Mistakes: A Path to Creativity?

Introduction

Failure is often seen as a negative experience, and for good reason. Many of us dread it, avoid it, and feel disheartened by it. However, failure can also be a powerful teacher. Not one I like, but powerful nonetheless.

The Learning Experience

Viewing failure as a learning experience is common advice. Yet, many people, including myself, struggle with this concept. It's not easy to embrace failure. However, I have learned a great deal from witnessing and experiencing failures in leadership and management. These experiences have often led me to say, "I’ll never do that." I've even left jobs because of it.

Enough negativity about failure. Humble reflection on both failures and successes can open our eyes to what actually happened and the why, helping us avoid similar mistakes in the future. Make sure you ask the "Why" question at least five times to get to the root cause, not just a convenient half truth.

• Reflect on both your successes and failures regularly.
• It helps you understand what went right and wrong and how to improve.
• Keep a journal of your experiences and review it periodically.

Entrepreneurial Failure

Many successful entrepreneurs learn from their failures. Stories of multiple failed attempts before finding success are common. While learning from failure is part of it, I believe the biggest elements towards entrepreneurial success are resilience and persistence, not just learning from failure.

• Embrace a growth mindset to learn.
• Be optimistic and see failures as opportunities for growth.
• Put your ego aside, read, and research.

The Impact of Brain Wiring

Our brain wiring plays a crucial role in how we process failure. A wise person once told me that dwelling on failures can hinder progress. They said it was especially true for engineers and other professionals who need to move on quickly to find solutions. Don’t dwell on failures; review and move on, maintain momentum, and continue to innovate.

• Create mental pathways that focus on solutions rather than problems.
• Move forward and find new opportunities; don’t get stuck in the weeds.
• Practice mindfulness and compartmentalization. Put failure in a box after you have dealt with it.

Balancing Success and Failure

Balance is key. Viewing success and failure as part of a continuum can help us learn from both experiences. Old experiences and new experiences all play a part in the decisions we make, as do success and failure. Learn from both.

• Maintain a balanced perspective and don’t believe your own PR.
• Stay grounded and learn from all experiences, both good and bad, old and new.
• Reflect on both your successes and failures equally.

The Continuum of Experiences

Taking the concept of balance to the edge. Western philosophy often separates concepts into opposites: rich/poor, beauty/ugly, good/evil. By having to decide where things sit, means you must be judgmental. Being judgmental comes at a cost. Try not to judge. Just think, "It is what it is," and be comfortable with that. This perspective is very freeing because you can see the value in all things, whether they are perceived as successes or failures.

• Imagine how different things would be if you could apply a non-dualistic perspective to even a small part of your life.
• Appreciate the full spectrum of experiences for what they are, not what you judge them to be.
• Be daring and question why you feel the need to judge, and practice seeing the gray areas in life.

Creativity and Failure

Creativity thrives on experimentation and risk-taking. Without the possibility and acceptance of failure, creativity would be diminished. Mistakes and errors often lead to unexpected discoveries and innovations. Usually, it is the second or third idea that is the best, not the initial idea. Be happy with multiple missteps and linking ideas along the path to the WOW solution.

• Take creative risks.
• Give yourself permission to come up with 10 solutions, knowing that only 2 of them are any good. You cannot get to the 2 without the 10.
• Build on your thinking; don’t get anchored to early thoughts and ideas.

Missed Opportunities

This should be top of the list because the biggest failures of all are missing opportunities, not seizing chances, and being content with the status quo. These missed opportunities are not viewed as failures because they never existed to criticize. Hindsight is a wonderful thing; use it as a spur to better thinking in the future.

• Be open and then seize opportunities.
• If you are not growing and progressing, you are missing opportunities; let that feeling guide you.
• Stay curious, take calculated risks, and be open to new experiences. Write that on the fridge or desk divider.

Failing to Guard Your Health

Learning from failure, health is a big one for me. I’ve always considered myself healthy and reasonably well until I saw my blood results a few years ago. Big wake up call. Neglecting your health can have long-term consequences. Failing to prioritise physical well-being is a shortcut to disaster. Health and beauty are wasted on the young; look after yourself.

• Always prioritise your health.
• Good health is the number one foundation and enabler for everything.
• Maintain a balanced diet, exercise regularly, and get adequate sleep...blah, blah, blah.

Failing to Prioritise Relationships

Relationships are next in the headlight. Key for your emotional and social well-being. In the UK, 42% of marriages end in divorce. Truly dreadful. Failing to find the right partner and/or not investing in each other has no upside. Friends, family, and partners are more valuable than money. I won't go on but leave you with this thought. I’ve always wondered why we are happy to pay more to financial advisors who look after our money compared to nurses who help look after our nearest and dearest. Cannot be right.

• Invest in all your relationships actively. Have a mandatory date night with your partner.
• Good, healthy, and strong relationships provide support and enrich your life.
• Communicate, communicate, communicate. Spend quality time with loved ones, and don’t forget to show appreciation.

Failing to Manage Your Energy

Energy enables everything. My heart goes out to anyone suffering from ME or other forms of energy depletion. Manage all your forms of energy: emotional, physical, social, mental, and spiritual. Burnout and decreased effectiveness are just the tip of the iceberg. Everything is hard with low energy. Plus, don’t ever be an energy dementor!

• Manage all your energy with habits and passion.
• Get it right, and everything is easier.
• Practice self-care, set boundaries, and engage in activities that recharge you. Avoid those that deplete you or block them in.

Failure of Motivation

We all have peaks and troughs, but a failure of motivation is a significant barrier to success at work or home. Motivation is a key component of "quiet quitting," where just enough is good enough without fully engaging. Lack of motivation can stem from various sources, including attitude, lack of purpose, or dissatisfaction. The main thing is not to take it for granted and nurture it, care for it because it is precious.

• Reignite your motivation by really finding what’s important to you.
• Create a balance between tasks you have to do and those you love doing to keep your overall motivation strong (works at work and home).
• Set clear, achievable goals, find purpose in your work, and take breaks to avoid burnout.

All this talk of failure can be exhausting. It’s not as energizing as success, so I’m going to end it here before we both run out of steam.

What’s my CTA in all of this? Failures happen, so find your best way of dealing with them. If you can also learn from them, that’s marvellous.

One thing that will help is being creative about dealing with failure because the best solution for you is going to be unique to you.

This newsletter was brought to you by www.Couler.co.uk

Please don’t contact us with all your failures. However, we are quite happy to help with any sub-optimal success issues you may have!