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James Donaldson on Mental Health – 6 Ways Failure is Just as Important as Success
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No one likes to fail. It feels bad. You might feel like giving up or blaming someone else or beating yourself up. But you might be surprised to hear that many successful people are not just grateful for their past failures, but they ascribe their present success to having tried and failed in the past.
Here are six reasons to embrace your failures.
Failures are opportunities
To see failure as an opportunity is not putting a Pollyanna spin on reality. It’s accepting that everyone fails, and you can choose to learn from your mistakes, or you can stay stuck in them.
Successful people see mistakes as an opportunity to learn and change course. For example, say you want to lose twenty pounds. To know that you’ll fall off the wagon if you see a chocolate jam donut is some useful information. You can take steps to avoid the things that tempt you most and make it more likely that you’ll stick to your diet.
Failures show up your weaknesses.
Whether it’s not being able to resist a cigarette if you’re in a social situation, or finding you need more accountancy skills than you thought you did. If you can detach from the emotions of failure you can soon see where the leaks in your boat are and take steps to mend them.
Failure will make you resilient
One big lesson from trying and failing is finding out you can get right back up again and keep going. You can admit that you tried and failed and use what you learned to build a better strategy to get to your goal. And that’s a huge life lesson.
#James Donaldson notes: Welcome to the “next chapter” of my life… being a voice and an advocate for #mentalhealthawarenessandsuicideprevention, especially pertaining to our younger generation of students and student-athletes. Getting men to speak up and reach out for help and assistance is one of my passions. Us men need to not suffer in silence or drown our sorrows in alcohol, hang out at bars and strip joints, or get involved with drug use. Having gone through a recent bout of #depression and #suicidalthoughts myself, I realize now, that I can make a huge difference in the lives of so many by sharing my story, and by sharing various resources I come across as I work in this space.#http://bit.ly/JamesMentalHealthArticle Find out more about the work I do on my 501c3 non-profit foundation website www.yourgiftoflife.org Order your copy of James Donaldson’s latest book, #CelebratingYourGiftofLife: From The Verge of Suicide to a Life of Purpose and Joy
Failure can make you more inclined to try different strategies, to see risk in a different light. If you’re not afraid to fail, you’re more likely to try bold strategies and might just hit on something big!
Failure reminds you that you’re not alone.
Believe it or not, failure can make you a better person. Accepting failure as part of life will make you more empathic and less judgmental of others. You’ll be more likely to help other people you see trying to make it, and in return, you will be more open to asking for and receiving help when you need it.
Failure will make you kinder to yourself.
Seeing failure in its proper light will make you more forgiving of your flaws. You’ll be less of a perfectionist and be less prone to self-doubt. And that, in turn, will build your self-confidence and make you more likely to succeed!
So, embrace failure, learn from it and use it as a stepping stone to success.
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James Donaldson is a Washington State University graduate (’79). After an outstanding basketball career with WSU, he went on to play professional basketball in the NBA with the Seattle Supersonics, San Diego/L.A. Clippers, Dallas Mavericks, New York Knicks, and Utah Jazz. He also played for several teams in the European Leagues in Spain, Italy, and Greece, and he toured with The Harlem Globetrotters to wrap up his career. James was an NBA All-Star in 1988 while playing center for the Dallas Mavericks. In 2006, James was inducted into the Pac-10 Sports Hall of Fame and also the Washington State University Athletic Hall of Fame. In 2010, James was elected as a board member for the NBA Retired Players Association.
James frequently conducts speaking engagements (motivational, inspirational, educational) for organizations, schools, and youth groups.
In 2010, James was the recipient of the NBA Legends of Basketball ABC Award, awarded for outstanding contributions in Athletics–Business–Community.
He believes in being a role model for success and professionalism to the scores of young people to whom he devotes so much of his time. He currently serves on several boards and committees and is a member of many organizations.
James believes in developing relationships that create a “Win-Win” environment for everyone involved, and in being the best he can be!
For more information about James Donaldson or to request he speak at your event, contact him at:
James Donaldson is the author of “Standing Above The Crowd” and “Celebrating Your Gift of Life” and founder of the Your Gift of Life Foundation which focuses on mental health awareness and suicide prevention, especially pertaining to our school aged children and men.
If you’re interested in having James come and speak to your group of young adults, business entrepreneurs, aspiring political and community leaders, and athletic teams, please contact him at jamesd@yourgiftoflife.org and or leave a personal message for him at 1-800-745-3161. Keep up with him and read about how he is reaching out and making a difference in the lives of so many around the world at www.yourgiftoflife.org
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