How to Avoid Failure

None of us are perfect and we've all experienced the sting of failure. We think we have the perfect plan; we've worked it all out and have plotted our course to success. Yet, somehow, we sometimes fall short of the goal. In others words, we fail. Can we avoid failure completely? I don't think so and besides, we learn from our mistakes. But, just maybe, we can minimize the frequency with which we have to deal with failure. Try these tips to increase your success and decrease the times you really do fail.

Plan to achieve your goals. We've heard this one so many times before. Outline your plan on paper. Identify your major goals and then the smaller steps that need to be accomplished in order for you to achieve those goals. Give yourself realistic timeframes to achieve your small objectives and your major goals. Keep track of your progress and make revisions as appropriate.

Don't second guess yourself. Once you've got your goals and objectives outlined, don't second guess. Don't be so smug as to assume you already know the outcome or that you know how other people are going to support or interfere with your progress. Just be honest and objective in your planning and then move forward to the achievement of your major goals.

Be honest with yourself. If you do fall short, or indeed, outright fail, take responsibility. Don't blame your luck and don't blame another person's actions or the situation for your failure. When we fail, we simply need to identify where we've gone wrong. It helps us to avoid making the same mistake twice.

Admit that you were the cause of the failure. This one echoes being honest with ourselves. We've got so much to learn when we take responsibility and are honest with ourselves. Be objective and look at what you could have done differently and then implement a new plan of action. Your original plan isn't set in stone and avoiding failure is a journey.

Listen to others. When you do fall short or fail, take another person's point of view on the situation. Discuss the situation, the failure and your plan for success with a trusted friend or colleague. It's easy to be objective about anything when you aren't personally involved and your friend may be able to help you identify a new strategy that will strengthen you plan for success.

Honestly, I don't think we'll ever be able to avoid failure 100% of the time. However, I do think avoiding failure becomes a bit less difficult when we are honest and objective about where we went wrong. Avoiding failure becomes easier when we learn to identify what to do differently the next time so that we avoid the same outcome.