Failing Successfully

By Eric B. Murdock

Church Magazines

You may fall short at times, but that can actually help you move forward.

If you wrote a book about your life, what would the title be? Would it be My Completely Perfect and Successful Life or My Amazing, Failure-Free Life?

Chances are, you’d feel uneasy with those titles because they wouldn’t be true. Your life isn’t perfect or free of failure. Mine isn’t either. In fact, no one’s life is. Making mistakes and falling short are a part of life, but there’s a huge difference between failing and being a failure. You are not a failure, and failing isn’t always a bad thing. Here are three tips to help you turn your failures into successes.

A Chance for Future Success

Sometimes falling short can feel like the end of the world. But failing is often a great way for you to learn. It can be a chance to “consider your ways” (Haggai 1:5), change direction, and try again. This will help set you up to be more successful the next time around.

Avoid the Comparison Trap

It’s easy to compare ourselves to others. We are constantly bombarded with exciting and wonderful things everyone else seems to be doing—especially on social media. It can make us feel like we aren’t enough.

Instead of focusing on things other people have that you lack, turn off the comparisons and turn on the counting of your blessings. Elder Gary E. Stevenson of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles also encouraged us to “meaningfully [connect] with others and [add] light to their lives.”¹ Celebrate the accomplishments of others and start making plans of ways you can improve. This is much more effective than focusing on how your life compares to someone else’s.

All Things Can Work Together for Your Good

We will all face failure. Instead of beating ourselves up and thinking we’re inadequate or unworthy, there is a way we can pick ourselves up, dust ourselves off, and move forward.

The scriptures teach us to “search diligently, pray always, and be believing, and all things shall work together for your good” (Doctrine and Covenants 90:24). Elder Gerrit W. Gong of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles has said that this is true because Heavenly Father and our Savior, Jesus Christ, “know how all things can work together, and They know what is good for us.”² They know and love us perfectly. If we will trust Them, our faith can encourage us to keep going whenever we fall short.

We can’t be perfect on our own. Perfection is in Christ and comes as we exercise faith in Him and follow Him. When you think you’ve failed and you can’t make it right, turn to Heavenly Father and the Savior and see how They will help you one day at a time.