Why Failure Makes You Stronger

Admit it. Seeing the word “failure” in the title of a blog post makes you uncomfortable. Let’s not focus on the negative you might be thinking. That makes sense. After all, many, if not most, highly driven and successful professionals operate on the motto made famous in the film Apollo 13: “Failure is not an option.”

However, if you’ve ever failed and learned from the experience, you know failure makes you stronger.

Every trial and tribulation will enable a new opportunity for growth and allow you to acquire the most valuable data. Failure makes you stronger because the experience can be analyzed and help refine your process. Understanding what went wrong is what makes failure the best teacher. 

If you’re pursuing a career as a realtor, you need to be able to see situations from every angle. When you succeed, you might only get a fraction of insight into your sales process and the strategies that work. However, it can be hard to determine what aspect of your strategy led to a sale. This only emphasizes the importance of failing. If you’re unable to close a deal, the setback gives you a chance to assess and truly understand the process of your sales technique.

Why Failure is Good for Success

Top real estate agents are a particularly driven group of professionals. They demand perfection not only from themselves but also from their team. Perhaps the understanding that there are only a limited number of exceptional opportunities at any given time drives this demand for perfection. The ethos of “failure is not an option” rings loud in our achievement-driven culture. But the truth is, while failure may never be an option, it is always a possibility. And it is very often our failures that lead to our greatest learning and subsequent achievement.

How can failure strengthen a person? Here are four common ways failure makes you stronger and how you can “benefit” from them.

1. We tend to work harder: for many, failure becomes the impetus to strive to achieve their goals with greater determination than ever before. Failure typically prompts us to shut down, which is a good thing because it gives us time to process our pain. Those who are truly motivated often renew their efforts with a stronger sense of commitment.
2. We learn valuable lessons: from a neurological perspective, failure kicks our brand into learning and analysis mode — which encourages greater mental health. Failure gives us the opportunity to assess our actions and search for better alternatives. The process of learning new lessons contributes to stronger brain function over time.
3. We are humbled: failure is an excellent way to deflate our egos and minimize the potential for narcissistic behavior. Humility allows us to also prepare for future failures-and there will always be future failures. The humility gained through failure can also prompt us to seek the support of friends or family — which helps nurture and strengthen our brains.
4. We embrace simplicity: failure often forces us to assess our life choices,; prompting us to reassess the original path we took that led to the failure. You can start to look at what is important and, thereby, streamline your life to increase the possibility of success.

It is not human nature to “opt” for failure. But failure indeed will arrive at our doorstep at some point. When it shows its head, learn from it to ensure failure strengthens you. This is why it is important to understand the value of failure and put the lessons learned to work in striving for future success.

Doug Spak

Doug Spak joined Espresso Agent as a Content Marketing Specialist in 2016. Doug brings nearly four decades of experience as a copywriter, blogger, and screenwriter to his role with Espresso. Since joining our team, Doug has actively updated website content, published more than 300 blogs, and created countless social media posts.