A comprehensive guide on How to Fail in Life.

There’s a smile playing at the corner of my mouth as I compile this comprehensive guide on how to fail in life. Here is why, I have always allowed society to define what success means, and where in most instances I would love to blame the system, I wonder “What is my contribution?”.

Failure seems to lurk beneath the surface of every step I take. When I hopped into my first business; an office & home cleaning venture, it was right there. The good news this time, since I was able to recognize and navigate Failure, I have been able to build Sav Skills 5 years down the line.

If you thought my failing in my education and business wasn’t enough, I have experienced failure when it comes to partnerships; suffered gut-wrenching heartbreaks, and waggled in the valley of despair. But with each version of failure, I have gained a new perspective on how to fail in life.

Does this mean I am now infallible?

No, At Sav Skills I experience failure in its different forms. The difference is that now I am aware that failure is part of the success equation and through this recognition I have discovered that it is far worse when you plan to fail intentionally or fail due to ignorance. Failure has taught me to be keen and quick in taking up take my responsibility for my contribution to it. The key however is not to remain at the point of failure, but to acknowledge and work it out.

Let’s be clear, failure is an inevitable part of life. While success is often celebrated and failure seems counterintuitive, when used in the right way, it provides the most profound lessons and opportunities for growth. So you need not to fear failing.

How about you, does failure often hold you back?

As Stephen Covey alludes, “Anything less than a conscious commitment to the important is an unconscious commitment to the unimportant.”

So, whether you intentionally and consciously wish to fail in life or not, there are certain patterns you may have adopted that keep leading you to failure.

So, here is the guide on how to fail in life.

1. Set Unrealistic and Meaningless Goals

One of the key factors of failing in life is the setting of unclear, uninspiring, unachievable, and meaningless goals. Such goals leave you drifting about your day without a sense of purpose.

Better still, in this day and age the most publicized euphemism is 'Yolo' which leads to people passionately avoiding goal setting or aspirations and have them Living each day as it comes without any sort of long-term vision or plan.

Remember,

Setting unrealistic goals leads to frustration and demotivation. But setting realistic goals keeps you on the right path.

 2. Blame Everyone for Everything

To fail in life, never take responsibility for anything. Blame your parents for not passing your exams as much as they worked hard to pay your school fees and feed you to their level best.

Blame your teachers for not understanding concepts in class, not taking your assignments seriously, and for “kukuonea” anchored on your ignorance.

Blame your religious leader for lack of intimate relationship with your God. Blame your neighbors. Blame your partner. Blame everyone you believe has contributed to your failure. But never YOURSELF.

Remember,

Blaming everyone else saves you from taking responsibility. But it also hinders you from learning from your mistakes.

 3. Avoid Taking Risks

Enjoy your comfort zone and never challenge yourself, just in case you fail. Life is never that serious, after all, nobody gets out of it alive!

Wait for the sky to get clear and the weather to be perfect, you can’t afford to step out and get wet. Recruit people who agree with your perspective so you don’t risk getting into arguments. Then ignore your gut feeling, why trouble yourself with unnecessary pressure?

Remember,

Risk-taking can lead to massive failure. But it can also lead to breakthroughs that you wouldn't have achieved if you didn’t take the risk.

 4. Fear and Resist Change

Why do things have to change?

Stick to your usual bread and butter. Stubbornly cling to your routines and habits even when they no longer serve you, as long as you remain actively doing something. Better still, fight change with every fiber of your being!

Remember,

Change often involves uncertainty. However, avoiding change hinders your opportunities for growth and adaptation.

5. Focus on Perfection

Have everything figured out first before you act, why hurry?

Do the research, weigh the different ways a plan can go wrong, dot the i’s and cross the t’s, and by all means never execute the plan until it is perfect.

Remember,

Activating imperfect plans leads to mistakes. But those mistakes are the stepping stones to progress and valuable learning experience.

6. Procrastinate with passion

Even if you can complete that report today, register for that course or make a call to that special person, DELAY it. Push all those important tasks aside; there will always be a tomorrow

Ignore deadlines and instead prioritize escape activities. Make time for short-term cotton candy satisfaction over long-term consistent success.

Remember,

The worst that can happen is falling behind every now and then. But it can also lead to a cycle of failure and missed opportunities.

7. Never Seek Help.

Isolate yourself. Never ask for advice or seek help from others even when facing challenges you've never encountered before. You will look like a weakling, a ‘simp’ as they say. After all, the introverted side of you gets weary when you are around people.

Remember,

Seeking help may leave you looking like a weakling to some people. But it provides diverse perspectives to help you tackle obstacles more effectively and spur your growth.

8. Doubt yourself, always have a self-negative talk.

Tell yourself,

‘I am ugly.’

‘I am unlovable.’

‘I am not good enough.’

‘I lack self-confidence.’

‘I have low self-esteem.’

‘I always make mistakes.'

‘Everything I touch fails.’

‘I am a poor communicator.’

‘No one has ever run a successful business in my family.’

‘We always die of diabetes, high blood pressure, or cancer.’

Constantly criticize yourself with savory passion; whether consciously or unconsciously. Focus on weaknesses, and undermine your abilities.

Remember,

This pessimistic mindset may save you from making a fool of yourself. But it also hinders your personal growth and sabotages any chances of success.

9. Give Up as Soon as You Are Hit

Never waste your time, resources, and energy building your ability to bounce back from setbacks and challenges.

Give up the moment you sense or encounter adversity. Dwell on your past mistakes in every step of your life; personal and professional. Let failure define you.

Remember,

Giving up keeps you safe and makes you think you have tried enough. But building resilience keeps you coming back from another angle and with vigor; you never go down without a fight.

 10. Overlook the learning process

You know what? If you are wrong, you are wrong!

Don’t pause to evaluate where you have come from, where you are, and where you are headed. Vehemently ignore the lessons that come with failure. Instead, repeat the same actions and expect different results, by the way, this is the definition of stupidity. Never even bother reflecting on your experiences in life.

The decisions, attitudes, mindsets, and habits that led you to your current position can’t hurt you in the future.

Don’t even invest in Sav Skills’ executive leadership coaching program, what for?

And don't bother investing in your personal or professional growth. You are busy with more important stuff and there’s no budget for such. You actually haven’t recovered from COVID-19 and the economic crisis is adverse. So let things run as they are. You are okay, and it’s okay to be okay.

Remember,

“Like success, failure is many things to many people. With Positive Mental Attitude, failure is a learning experience, a rung on the ladder, a plateau at which to get your thoughts in order and prepare to try again.” - W. Clement Stone

 In Conclusion

If you have been searching and dreaming of failure, then your search has come to a great end. Implement the above but don’t bother re-reading the famous repetitive “Remember” segments of this article.

But for those with huge dreams, read this.

While the content of this article passionately empowers you on how to fail in life, the message is quite the opposite. Failure is an integral part of the human experience and is anchored on the above-mentioned behaviors and mindsets.

Embracing failure means acknowledging that setbacks are part of the journey and that each misstep offers an opportunity to learn, adapt, and come back stronger. Failure, when approached with the right mindset, can be a stepping stone to growth, resilience, and eventual success.

On the other hand, setting unachievable and meaningless goals, blaming everyone for everything, avoiding taking risks, fearing, and resisting change, focusing on perfection, procrastinating with a passion, never seeking help, doubting yourself, giving up, and overlooking the learning process is the sure way to fail in life.

So, don't strive to fail, but don't shy away from failure either – for it's through failure that we truly discover our capacity to thrive.

 Ready to take the step to recognize and navigate through failure, enroll in our “UNLOCK YOUR POTENTIAL” program where we shall delve into different learning processes to enable you to take action towards reaching your full potential. This four-week program will provide you with the skills, knowledge, and self-awareness required to navigate through failure, gain confidence, develop authentic leadership skills, and gain clarity on your personal passion, mission, and vocation.

Engage info@savskills.com | +254782631277.

Otumbo Vincent

Transforming Leaders, Driving Results, Sav Skills Limited