Treat failure like a scientist

When a scientist conducts an experiment, all kinds of results can occur. Some results are positive and some are negative, but all are data points. Each result is a data point that can ultimately lead to an answer.

And that's exactly how a scientist treats failure: as another data point.

That's very different from what society often says about failure. For most of us, failure is an indication of who we are as a person.

Failing a test means you're not smart enough. Failing to get fit means you are undesirable. Failing in business means you don't have what it takes. Failing in art means you're not creative. And so on.

But for a scientist, a negative result is not an indication that he is a bad scientist. In fact, it is the opposite. Proving a hypothesis wrong is often as useful as proving it right because you learned something in the process.

Your failures are simply data points that can help you find the right answer.

Failure is the price you pay to be right

This is not to say that you should try to make mistakes or that failure is fun. Of course, you will try to get things right. And failing at something that is important to you is never fun.

But failure will always be a part of your growth for one simple reason...

When you're focused on developing a new habit, learning a new skill, or mastering a particular craft, you're basically experimenting one way or another. And if you do enough experiments, sometimes you will get a negative result.

It happens to every scientist, and it will happen to you and me. In the words of Seth Godin, failure is simply a price you have to pay on the way to getting the right result.

Treat failure like a scientist. Your failures are not you. Your successes are not you. They are simply data points that guide the next experiment.

A simple piece of advice from Icehrm, The best digital HR platform.