The Story You're Telling Yourself About Failure

Hello, and welcome to "The Resilient Leader." Coach Charlotte here. This week's topic, the story you're telling yourself about failure.

Have you ever noticed that sometimes failure isn't the hardest part? It's the story we tell ourselves afterwards. We just keep rehashing the whole dang thing over and over, analyzing it. Have you ever watched a sports event and one of the players makes a mistake and doesn't handle it well? We can all picture the bad-tempered player acting a fool. Don't be that player.

Remember, failure is just an event. It's not our identity. A failed attempt doesn't make you a failure. A poor decision doesn't erase your value. A setback doesn't cancel your future.

Today, I'm going to share a few things you can do when you experience failure.

First of all, own it. Take responsibility. Don't blame others. Ask yourself, "What responsibility do I need to take without making excuses?" Own it. Take responsibility.

Also, learn from it. Seek the lesson. Ask yourself, "What is this experience teaching me that I couldn't have learned any other way?" Learn from it. Seek the lesson.

Next, make adjustments. Apply what you learned. Ask yourself, "What needs to change so I don't repeat the same mistake?" Make the adjustments. Apply what you learned.

Keep moving forward. Don't stay stuck. Take a step. "What is the very next step I can take today?" is a great question to ask yourself. Keep moving forward. Don't stay stuck. Take a step.

And finally, this one is very important. Forgive yourself. Release the burden. Your response to failure says more about your character than the failure itself. How will my response reflect the kind of leader I want to be?

A closing challenge for you today. This week, pay attention to the story you're telling yourself after something doesn't go as planned. Own it. Learn from it. Make adjustments. Keep moving forward. And most important, forgive yourself. We're all human. Remember, your response to failure says more about your character than the failure itself.

Have an amazing week, my friends.