An amazing way to learn by recording your mistakes: Failure Journal.
A framework and a Notion tool
A Framework
A lot is said about success in social media and the modern digital world. But there is a B-side that is talked about less. Failure.
When we share success stories, we tend to focus on the outcome and avoid important aspects of the process. What about the obstacles? How were they solved? What did we learn? What would we have done differently to avoid them?
“We tend to attribute our failures to external factors, rather than our own abilities. On the other hand, we associate success with our abilities, excluding external factors” This is called Self-serving bias and it is a very common behavior.
If you want your life to change, you must fail more, not less. And when you reflect on your failures, regularly, you’ll begin to see them for what they are: life lessons.
Starting a Failure Journal can give you a clearer picture of what works in your life and what does not. It can also remind you that a failure is just an event rather than an identity (“I am a failure”).
“Normalizing failure decreases the anxiety around potential future failure. It helps your brain remember that you’ve lived through failure before, the world didn’t end, and you could handle it.” says clinical psychologist Ellen Hendriksen, PhD, author of How to Be Yourself.
There is surprising power in recording all the ways you screwed up. Not only does it help you remember when you failed, so you are less likely to repeat it, but it also allows you to disassociate with the emotions around mistakes.
This way you are reframing failure as a necessary step to success! You just learn about a simple way to transform the energy from your past into wisdom.
So, what can you do to start a Failure Journal?
Start by answering these questions in a digital or physical notebook:
What is the “failure” in this situation?
Describe why you consider this a failure. Focus on the intended outcome and the final result.
What caused the failure?
Trace back your actions and look for the specifics that caused you to fail. There is no need to blame yourself. The idea is to be aware of what you shouldn’t do next time.
What would “success” have looked like?
What would success have looked like in terms of results and intended outcome? What it would have meant to you personally?
What is the lesson in this failure?
This is the most important part of the exercise. What is the lesson? What are you going to do differently next time? Take as much time as you need on this one.
Be aware that this method can be tough if you’re already punishing yourself a lot. “Tracking failure is unhelpful when it’s used as punishment, or as a misguided attempt to motivate yourself,” says Hendriksen. “If tracking failure costs you more than it buys you, by all means, press pause.”
A Notion Tool
In case you are interested in starting a Failure Journal, I have designed a FREE Notion Template that will guide you to transform the energy from your past into wisdom. Just follow the link below the image and get it now!
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