There are so many factors that come into consideration when you seek success in any aspect of life, but one of the most important lessons you can teach yourself is how to fail. Not necessarily if you’re going to fail, but when its going to happen. Everyone must face that negativity at some point, and you’re better off being prepared to accept it than be abrasive and let it destroy you.
Ive come across so many people over the years who have an attitude like they will command and conquer anything that comes their way, which is good to a certain extent. They build a level of confidence that lifts them above others who lack drive and motivation. How quickly things change once their plans don’t go the way they expected.
A great example of this is a metal band I knew from the west coast who had been playing together for a couple years in small local clubs. They received positive praise from friends and locals alike for all their hard work and perseverance. Then came time for them to branch out into the national spotlight, and see how other metal fans would react.
They spent much of their hard earned time and money on perfecting a newly recorded album, and submitted the record to several metal magazines for review. Only one magazine responded, and it happened to be one of the larger metal magazines out at the time. Not only did they dislike the record, but the magazine ripped each one of the band members a new asshole for their lack of individuality and ability to rip off other musicians so easily.
Needless to say the band didn’t take this well by any means. They took it personally, and sparked a war of conflict within the unit. Eventually the band fired members, and soon cowered back into the local spotlight where they first started. It was some what of a safety blanket for them as they pined for that show of support, but the fans took notice of the bands instability, and wrote them off quicker than the metal magazine which previously sent them into this downward spiral.
The bottom line is they were never prepared for failure, and let their ego’s get the best of them. They thought they were untouchable and destined to take over the world, but were grossly misinformed. Had they been more humbled by the experience, and learned to take pain with pleasure, they might still have had a fighting chance. Despite all of their efforts, the band is now one of the biggest laughing stocks of that particular local scene.
This is a perfect depiction of what happens when you’re not prepared for negativity at some point in your life. There are always going to be people who hate what you do, and try to shit down your throat. There is absolutely nothing you can do to stop it, and trying to please everyone will lead you down a road with no answers. The only thing you can do is know how to react, and be ready for whatever comes your way. If you feed into failure it will come to you like moths to a flame.
Its also important not to let failure guide your decisions, no matter how bad it gets. Once you start changing direction based on what others say is when you become nothing more than a lie. Time will always be on your side in these situations, and its the only defense towards getting through it. The negativity will come and go as the years pass by, but you’re the one who makes the decisions on which direction you’re headed. You can give in to failure and let it take control, or you can brush it off while moving forward on a path built from integrity and perseverance.
