Don’t Fear Failure

Everyone that starts a new project does it for one reason only: to experiment and see if they can become successful at different things.  Those that don’t try new things are, in essence, losers.  It is always better to be a failure than a loser.

When you fail at something, in other words, the project (blog, website, etc.) didn’t work out the way you wanted, several important events happen, which will all help you rethink and reevaluate the methods that you used to get to the point you were at.  Very few people have a 100% success rate, and those that do are rarely able to cope with one once they do have one.

Of all the events that take place during your blog “adventure,” failure might be the one that stands out and has the most benefits.

Results of Failure (Benefits)

1. You learn that people are generally more forgiving that you “destroyed” something they used, as in a web service, online project, or blog, than you might have imagined.  Some will be able to reach their hand out and offer you support, in terms of donations, time contributions, and so on, which may be the best experience you have.
2. When you fail at something, you learn that there may be more important things to focus on in life, other than your projects.  It takes a lot of time to maintain them, and that time is spent away from things that you might enjoy more.  Failure may lead to a rediscovering of those past times.
3. The next time you (re)start the project, you will likely take a different, better (or worse) direction and you’ll either fail again or be successful.  Repeated failures isn’t a sign that you weren’t meant to be an entrepreneur, but that you have common traits of an ingenious person – you were the one that broke the mold and started something for yourself.
4. Each project that you begin can be placed on a résumé or portfolio.  If you are ever contracted or sought after to work on a project for someone else, you will be able to present this list, as you had responsibilities for these projects, even if they did fail.
5. You will be able to teach other people about what you did wrong, perhaps through you personal blog.  This will, in turn, lead to more comments, visitors, and so on, which will boost your spirits if you took the failure hard.

Failure Can Also Kill

First of all, while this post was intended to highlight the benefits of failure, I also have to address some of the negative aspects of missing the boat with a project that you had hoped would be successful.

What does failure do to a person?

Well, from behind the display you are looking at, you can’t really see the person that has been hit with failure, although you might be able to visualize their pain if you have been in a similar situation.  However, there can be more long-lasting effects than you might think, even if this syndrome has already affected you.

• There is less will to work on or start new projects.  This can be the deal breaker, meaning that you’ll lose some of the independence you once had working for yourself (or on a smaller team).  Therefore, if you had any other focuses, they are now “less important” and you won’t be able to refocus on them for quite some time.
• All creativity is now out the door, as some would say.  Again, time won’t be on your side, as it’ll take a while before you are able to regain what you have lost.
• You may be more willing to sacrifice quality for time.  In other words, you will be less devoted at what you are doing, leading to repeated failure (which isn’t always bad) and any projects after your initial failure will be rushed, with little time spent tuning what are actually the biggest details.
• You might call it quits for good – the worst option, but it might be realistic if you find yourself not having any success in a long line of failures.

Extra Advice

Although everyone is bound to have an episode where they feel as though they are a loser/failure, remember that as long as you get back on your feet after each failure, you will become a better entrepreneur (even if dealing with small projects and blogs on the Internet).

The key to learning whether you will fail at your next project or lead a blockbuster success is simple: look back at what you’ve accomplished (even if it is failure).