If you want to succeed, you need to know the reasons for failure. To be successful in life, you need to know the way to succeed, so you also need to know why failure occurs in life. Knowing these will make it easier for you to avoid failure in any field of life.
Failure basically teaches us 2 important things:
- We are doing something wrong.
We have to try a little different way.
Being able to catch your mistakes and trying to correct those mistakes is one of the main ways to overcome failure and succeed. And if you know the common causes of failure, it will be easier to figure out why you are failing. And as I said earlier, if you know the main reasons for failure in life, you can avoid them. So, whatever situation you are in – knowing these will benefit you. So let’s learn the main 8 reasons for failure in human life.
8 main reasons for failure in life and how to avoid them
01. Lack of Discipline
Failure is inevitable in the life of one who lacks discipline. To achieve any kind of success, you need to be disciplined. If you want to do well in studies, you need to study regularly. If you want to progress in your career, you need to work consistently. If you seek spiritual success, you have to adhere to the rules of religion in an orderly manner. There is no substitute for discipline.
One who lacks discipline cannot concentrate on any task for a long time. If you decide to study every day from 9 am to 12 pm, you have to adhere to it at any cost. The routine cannot be broken. If there is a danger to yourself or someone close to you, or if you need to help someone, then perhaps you can deviate from the routine temporarily, but only in emergencies. However, regularly breaking your routine for unnecessary activities such as watching sports or chatting will hinder your success in anything.
The main quality of a disciplined person is to complete work on time. All successful people in the world understand the value of time. If you don’t value time, time won’t value you. Laziness, procrastination—these are the biggest enemies of success. A disciplined person cannot succumb to these traits.
Do what you need to do for success—do it promptly. Take control of yourself. This control does not come all at once; it must be acquired gradually through practice.
Many people believe that self-control and discipline are innate qualities. They think that if they don’t have it, they cannot attain it. This belief is very harmful. As long as someone holds onto this belief, they cannot change themselves.
So, first firmly believe that you can discipline yourself if you want to. It’s not necessary to do all the work on time initially. Start by setting one task each day that you will complete on time at any cost. Practice this for a few days, then gradually increase the workload. When necessary, write it down. If you practice like this, you will be able to complete all your tasks on time.
02. Giving Up Easily
Many talented and intelligent people also fail in life due to this problem. No matter how much intelligence and talent you have, every day will not be the same. At times, you will perform well, and at other times, your performance may not be as good. Some days, your efforts yield positive results, while other days they do not.
Some people assume that they can’t succeed when they receive results worse than expected. They give up and try something else. This habit causes people to fail before they even begin. They prematurely conclude that it’s the end without seeing things through. It’s a form of mental paralysis.
You might have been born with a great singing voice, and receiving compliments from those around you may have convinced you that you could pursue it as a career. However, when you go out to perform, you may not receive as much appreciation as you anticipated. You might feel nervous performing in front of strangers and eventually give up after a few attempts.
However, this reaction is quite normal. It’s precisely the time to persist. One must continue practicing and learning without getting discouraged. Many great talents in the world failed to succeed because they gave up. Conversely, many ordinary individuals harbored aspirations, practiced diligently day after day, and eventually achieved success. If you persist in practicing and learning without giving up, you will undoubtedly achieve the desired success at some point.
03. Excessive Fear of Taking Risks
Any decision should be made with careful consideration. Acting impulsively often leads to danger. Risks should not be taken abruptly. However, those who seek to be excessively cautious and retreat at the slightest hint of risk also often fail.
If you truly aspire to achieve great success, do not conform to the norm. You must possess the courage to swim against the current and embrace a mindset that is open to taking risks. Following the path trodden by everyone else will only lead you to the same destination as everyone else.
Do not abandon your dreams due to fear of what others might say. Achieving significant dreams necessitates taking significant risks. Those who criticize you today may praise you tomorrow if you succeed. If you must step outside the conventional boundaries to pursue your dreams, take that risk. If you persevere and press forward, victory will be yours in the end.
04. Lack of Planning
Just having a goal or desire is not enough to guarantee success. There should be a proper plan to achieve that goal. A very famous quote by Antoine de Saint-Exupéry is, ‘A goal without a plan is no more than a dream.’
Your plan doesn’t need to be perfect, and there is no guarantee that everything will unfold exactly as planned. However, having a plan for your goal will provide you with a roadmap. It will motivate you to take tangible action. You wake up every morning knowing what you need to do.
If something goes awry while executing your plan, you can always adjust it. But without a plan, you’ll find yourself idle and accomplishing nothing. The inevitable result of this is failure.
05. Fear of Failure
Excessive fear of failure often prevents people from even starting. Many opportunities in life are wasted due to this fear. The reluctance to try is, in itself, the greatest failure. If you attempt something, you have a 10% chance of success; if you hold back due to fear of failure, you have a 100% chance of failure.
In this context, a quote from Robert F. Kennedy is pertinent: ‘Those who are not afraid of great failure only achieve great success.’
If you aspire to significant success in life, do not let the fear of failure hold you back. The fear of failure is the biggest obstacle to success, debilitating individuals to an extreme degree. By conquering this fear, you take the most significant step toward success. The path to great success inevitably involves occasional setbacks, but you must persist. Ceasing to try after encountering failure is, in fact, failure itself. As long as you refuse to accept failure and continue moving forward, you maintain a chance of success. Overcome the fear of stumbling and press onward; this is the key to avoiding failure in life.
Never view failure as punishment for mistakes; instead, see it as a lesson for progression. Approach new endeavors with renewed vigor after experiencing failure.
06. Seeking Results Very Quickly
An excessive rush to succeed often leads people to prematurely accept failure. Many individuals anticipate great success in life and set ambitious goals for themselves. While any goal is achievable with perseverance, expecting rapid attainment of these goals often leads to quick disillusionment. The reality is that significant goals take time to accomplish—nothing happens overnight.
When someone enters into their endeavors with the expectation of immediate results but finds progress slower than anticipated, it can be extremely demotivating. This frustration may lead to giving up, which, as mentioned before, is the greatest defeat. To achieve significant goals, one must cultivate patience. There is no substitute for patient and persistent effort in the pursuit of major accomplishments.
07. Lack of Confidence
Truth be told, confidence is more crucial for success than intelligence and talent. Some individuals may possess the talent for crafting captivating stories, yet lack the confidence to share their work. In such cases, their stories remain unread, and they may fail as writers, despite their exceptional storytelling skills.
Confidence is a prerequisite for success in any field. If a student lacks belief in their ability to excel, how can they concentrate on their studies?
Effort stems from confidence. You must have faith in your own capabilities. Improvement in any skill comes through practice. While you may not excel today, consistent practice will yield better results next week. However, to engage in this practice, you must believe in your abilities. Those who lack confidence often hesitate to even attempt, inevitably leading to failure.
Whatever you aspire to achieve, believe that you can do it if you try. This belief will bolster your efforts and contribute significantly to your success.
8. Arrogance
One of the most profound sayings ever spoken is, ‘Ego is the root of the fall.’
Just as a lack of confidence prevents people from trying, overconfidence or arrogance also hinders learning and growth.
Consider someone with exceptional intellect who easily grasps complex concepts. However, if they become convinced that they no longer need to practice, their abilities will gradually diminish. Regardless of talent, consistent practice is essential for skill retention.
Furthermore, arrogance repels others. People are unwilling to collaborate with or provide opportunities to arrogant individuals. Many initially successful individuals have faltered due to their pride.
Pride blinds individuals to their faults. Ego inflates their sense of self, making them believe they are infallible. They disregard others’ advice, convinced of their superiority. History is replete with examples of powerful figures who succumbed to arrogance, believing themselves incapable of error, ultimately leading to their downfall. This fault is not limited to the powerful; ordinary individuals also suffer from it. Those who refuse to acknowledge their mistakes and shortcomings cannot improve and are destined to fail.
Failing to learn from past mistakes is also a manifestation of arrogance. Such individuals believe their actions were correct and attribute failures to external factors. They repeat their errors, making excuses and refusing to admit fault, perpetuating a cycle of failure.
Failure is inevitable in human life. However, those who confront failure head-on and persevere are the ones who ultimately succeed. No one can achieve success without experiencing failure. Utilizing failures as learning opportunities and moving forward with intelligence is the true path to success.
No Miracle will happen until you start. “If you fail the first time that’s just a chance to start you again.”
