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This step is as simple as it sounds: identify what you can learn from the failure. This will help you look at the failure in terms of useful real-world feedback, rather than a painful blow without any benefits.
I usually search for one key lesson that can make the biggest difference in my future endeavors, but it’s a good idea to identify several potential causes for your failure and then try to find a common link between them.
For example, my failure to reduce my body fat level to below 10% was caused by several factors. I could have eaten more vegetables to feel fuller. I could have avoided occasional naps during the day which always made me hungry. I could have eaten more salads and less rice. I could have maintained a smaller, more sustainable caloric deficit.
But in the end, it wasn’t about those little details. The overarching problem was deeper than that: my motivation wasn’t strong enough. I thought it was, but it didn’t address an important part of my life that would offer a powerful boost of motivation — namely, the fact that reducing my body fat would greatly improve my climbing performance. When I restarted my diet with this strong motivation in mind, suddenly everything fell into place.
Please note that it might take time to figure out the key lesson from your failure. I don’t expect you to know it instantly; after all, if you had known it beforehand, you wouldn’t have failed. If you’re struggling to find the answer, seek outside help: ask your friends or family, or join an online forum and ask people who have dealt with the same problem.
This step is essential because it will help you avoid making the same mistake in the future. When you pinpoint the most probable cause of your failure, you will see your failure in a new way, providing hope for the future. After all, you’ve just discarded an approach that doesn’t work, so now you’ll be more likely to succeed, just like you’re more likely to pick the correct answer if you go from four possible answers to three.
1. Create a list of lessons you’ve learned from your failure. Then, try to find a common thread — one key lesson that will help you change your approach and succeed with the next attempt.
2. Take your time to identify the key lesson from the failure. It’s better to spend a few days more analyzing your failure than to resume working on your goal, only to fail yet again due to the same (unidentified) cause. This step is essential to leverage failure as a valuable tool for your future endeavors.
