How to Start Over After Failure

Here are four steps to take when starting over after a failure:

Accept responsibility

If you’ve made a mistake, admit it. Welcome to the human race! Don’t blame others. Losers love to blame bad luck … the economy … the boss … their spouse … or even God for failure.

But winners never accuse others and never excuse themselves when they fail. “Anyone who refuses to admit his mistakes can never be successful. But if he confesses and forsakes them, he gets another chance” (Proverbs 28:13 TLB).

Recognize the benefits

Failure teaches you what doesn’t work. Thomas Edison, the great inventor, said, “Don’t call it a failure. Call it an education!” Failure forces you to be more creative as you look for new ways. It prevents arrogance and egotism. If everything you did was a stunning success, no one could live with you!

Failure also causes you to reevaluate what’s important in life. It is one way God gets you to reflect on the direction of your life. “Sometimes it takes a painful situation to make us change our ways” (Proverbs 20:30 GNT).

Ask God for wisdom

Why did you fail? Is there any reason you might have set yourself up to fail? There are many unconscious reasons we sometimes sabotage our own efforts:

Fear of success—Success may mean handling more responsibility than you want to carry.
Guilt—If you feel you don’t deserve to succeed, you may have set yourself up to fail.
Resentment—Some people fail as a way of getting even with those who are pressuring them to succeed.
Ask God what caused it—“If you lack wisdom, ask God, who gives generously to all” (James 1:5).

Focus on the future

Your past is past! It’s water under the bridge. You can’t change it so you may as well stop worrying about it. “Forgetting what is behind and straining toward what is ahead, I press on” (Philippians 4:1).