Have you seen people feeling depressed, worthless and even commit suicide because of certain mistakes made or failures? Sometimes, we wonder why people feel this way.

Back here in my University during my first year, we had a series of withdrawals and suicidal attempts which was traced back to a failure in previous exams, goals and loss of huge investments due to mistakes made. This was so disheartening and gave birth to the SAY NO TO SUICIDE campaign here in school.

Last week, I spoke with a close female friend who was on the verge of quitting athletics because she failed to achieve her set target at a marathon race organised here in school after investing so much time and effort in practice and this made her feel depressed and not good enough.
You know that feeling and can relate, right?😔
The truth is, everyone at one point or the other had been in this position too. That feeling of not being enough or a failure 😔

We spoke at length about her decision to quit and got to find out that even though she didn't achieve her expected aim, she had grown and developed herself more as an athlete and is now a better version of herself. She got to realise her growth and could see a new light.

I guess you are wondering what caused this positive shift from deciding to quit to seeing growth and development.
Well, Let's briefly discuss how to handle errors and mistakes.

HOW TO HANDLE FAILURE AND ERRORS

Failures and errors are a part of our everyday life. What matters is how best we handle them and avoid reoccurrences.

So, the question is how can we handle failures and errors?

• Have a clear vision:

Having a clear and defined vision about what we want to achieve in the long run is the first step to handling failures and errors. Understanding why you are involved in that particular aim, its benefits, hurdles and strategic plans will give a headstart of what's to come.
It's more like an athlete who doesn't even know why he is running, have a clear understanding of the race type whether marathon or 100 meters or know his competitors or hurdles along with the race. This athlete is bound to fail no matter how skilful he is because he lacks a clear understanding of the end even from the beginning.

Always Count the Cost.

You cannot have a clear vision of that goal, desire and dream without seeking the right knowledge.

Having the right knowledge is an important ingredient in achieving one's dream.

• Approach and Methods:

What differentiates the high flyers from others is the approach to failure. They see failure as a stumbling block that brings about an opportunity to see things differently while others see it as the end of the road.
What do you see?

Most times, what causes failure can be traced to our approach towards the problem. Maybe, the method applied is not efficient enough to produce the desired result and requires a strategic approach.

Back in High school, we were told of how Thomas Edison, the light bulb inventor, had tried making the light bulb for almost a thousandth time. I still beg to wonder most times how a man could keep trying a particular project for that many times till he achieved his desired result. The truth is, he could see failure differently and saw it as another opportunity to try again and use a different approach.
This is the distinguishing factor.
Maybe all we need to do at this point is to take a step back, critically analyze the situation and think of a better solution or approach.

A Setback is like taking a step back before a high jump - Bishop David Oyedepo.

• The driving will:

Another distinguishing factor is the driving force to succeed at all costs. Most times, all we just need is that extra push and force before achieving the desired result.

I clearly remember a close friend back in High school who had to take his final exams (called WAEC here) thrice. At one point, he was called a failure because no one believed in him anymore. It was a very depressing and trying period for him because he almost lost everyone dear to him. Everyone tagged him a failure and deemed it fit not to associate with him.
We later noticed that he was not achieving his desired results because he already lost that driving will to succeed. He had lost hope and saw himself as a failure coupled with some family issues he had to deal with.
Our headteacher took him into his home and closely monitored his progress and daily encouraged him. Fast forward to date, this young man is an Engineering graduate, a top manager in an engineering firm and a happy man.
What do you think changed?...🤔

It's that driving will and never-say-never attitude that helped him in the long run.

The sun is a daily reminder that we too can rise again from the darkness, that we too can shine our light. - S. Ajna

• Letting go:

Sometimes, all we need to do is to let go of our past errors and failures, learn from them and move on. We look back too much that it clouds our foresight of what is ahead. The truth is errors made might not be redeemable but can serve as an experience and lesson to others. Your experience shared with others can be the only saving grace someone out there needs to hear to get back on track.

One sure way of letting go is by speaking out. Air your voice and advocate for change.
I vividly remember reading the book NO MORE SHEETS by Juanita Bynum and how it blessed my life. She practically shared her mistakes in relationships in this wonderful book and this has become her ministry to humanity. Through her personal stories, she has helped people in the same situation still struggling to overcome.

Don't cling to a mistake just because you spent a lot of time making it.

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We are sometimes scared to let go because we become too attached and comfortable with the status quo.

Remember that:

At the other side of fear lies freedom.

After considering all this, the next big question lingering is What's next?

WHAT'S NEXT?

Keep believing and pushing yourself to achieve that dream goal. It won't come easy but never settle for less because you deserve the best life has to offer and the whole world is waiting to celebrate with you.
Ask for help and always talk to that trusted friend, counsellor or mentor for advice and help.

I can't wait to celebrate with you on achieving your goals. Much love😍

I am @chosenfingers, a young Nigerian studying mechatronics Engineering, your favourite blogger, content writer, love doctor 🤗 and friend. My main purpose here on Hive is to impact as many as possible with the right knowledge through mind-blowing, educational content.
I hope my blog reaches people far and near praying for an answer on how they can increase their personal growth by handling failures and errors the right way.
Please don't forget to share on any platform and reblog. Much love😍