3 Cases That Will Help You Overcome Failure
By: Alice Greschkow
Tags: Personal Growth, Careers, Personal Development, Failure, Success

Photo by the blowup on Unsplash

Imagine having a dream goal. You work hard for it. Maybe for months or even for years. You do your research, improve your craft, update your skills. You network, seek out inspiration, work on your mindset — and yet you might fail. That crushing experience is more than a personal humiliation and disappointment. It can unfold a disastrous power that will poison your soul and cripple your mind. You feel like becoming a failure and stop trying. But you’re not the only one — many successful people have failed and overcame it.

Failure won’t define you forever — unless you let it

Failing a business or a career path isn’t uncommon. Sooner or later, most people face adversities in their professional lives and become incredibly disheartened by it. Entrepreneur and investor Peter Thiel famously told Tim Ferris:

“The lessons people draw from most failed startups is that it’s impossible to build great businesses, so you then try something less ambitious, which is one of the other ways failure has a high cost.”

The emotional toll of failure can discourage people forever. Unless they get up and find an approach or a career that suits them better. In “The Dark Horse” Harvard study, researchers found that successful people often take a period of testing different careers until they find the right path for them. Often, they become successful after 30, but their testing has provided them with so much experience for them to know what really fulfills them and where their innate skills lie.

Ultimately — people who succeeded mostly didn’t end up becoming billionaires living lavish lives. But they ended up being successful in the noble and modest sense — they found an occupation that fulfills them and pays well enough to do well.

Instead of reading the lists of how extreme outliers like Oprah, Bill Gates, Tim Ferris or Peter Thiel experienced failures, it is important to look at people who are relatable and have proven that it is possible to find your way. You don’t have to be an exceptional entrepreneur to have a successful and fulfilling life. The following examples prove that:

Overcoming failure and becoming great

Credit: Werner Faymann — Portrait Werner Faymann, CC BY-SA 2.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=26847299

1. Werner Faymann — Former Chancellor of Austria

Between 2008 and 2016, Werner Faymann served as the Chancellor of Austria. He has been a popular figure for years in politics and the public appreciated his approachable ways.

Yet, he wasn’t the typical person whom you’d predict to become chancellor. Faymann never finished his university studies and dropped out. A journalist once asked him about a seven year gap in his CV between graduating from high school and winning a political mandate. He answered that he has been doing vacation jobs while studying Eventually, he got a taxi license, but only drove “a few times”, as he stated.

Yet, Faymann didn’t allow those years without a steady job define him and ended up maneuvering his country through political and economic challenges like the financial crisis following the Lehman crash and the influx of hundred thousands of refugees from Syria and the Middle East.

2. Magdalena Rogl — Communications Manager at Microsoft Germany

Magdalena Rogl is now a known figure in the tech bubble of Germany. Working at Microsoft, she’s become one of the inspiring faces opting for diversity and a modern humane work culture. The “mother of many” as she writes in her Twitter bio, seems to have it all — a good career, a loving family and social impact on businesses.

When she was younger, her life took a different path. She dropped out of school at 16 to become a kindergarten teacher, she got pregnant at 19, her second child followed four years later. At 24, her partner left her. She was a single mom of two in her mid-20s.

In order to find a new job which allowed her more flexibility, she applied as a social media manager at a digital travelling agency. She found that her empathetic and communication skills she had cultivated for years were just what was necessary to do a good job. Building her skills allowed her to transfer to Microsoft and become Head of Digital Channels.

3. Jennie McCormick — Astronomer

Jennie McCormick was a typical teenager from New Zealand who was more interested in riding horseback when she dropped out of high school at the age of 15. Her professional dedication for stars wouldn’t start until she turned 29. But once her interest was ignited, it wouldn’t stop burning.

As a young mother, she built the Farm Cove Observatory in New Zealand which helped her to discover 20 plants and one asteroid. Looking back on her path, she doesn’t regret dropping out — it felt right for her. However, one of her life lessons is to take initiative and follow your gut instinct.

It’s always darkest before the dawn

Failure and hardship and part of life and they can unleash a destructive force. However, the ultimate question is — are you going to allow your failure to define you in the long run?

The examples above show that sometimes opportunities can appear out of nowhere — even when your life feels messy and lacking stability. This lack of stability and direction doesn’t have to last forever — in fact, sometimes your own initiative is what can turn your situation around quite quickly.

Within a few years the personalities above have turned their lives around because they didn’t allow their failures to define them. It’s part of their individual path.

I believe that having unattainable goals like building the next Amazon or Tesla can distract you from the direct steps and opportunities that may not lie directly in front of you — but close enough to reach. Success starts with realistic steps — and you define what it means to you.