An F can serve as the foundation for an A+.

Babe Ruth, Robert Frost, Oprah, Winston Churchill, and many others, including you and me, have something in common. Failure has been a part of the life experience. Perhaps some on the list have reached great success, but it has not occurred overnight. It has taken much work and times of failing to reach the level of success now enjoyed.

Everyone experiences failures in life, and how these moments are handled is up to the individual. Here are 3 action-steps we can take to turn our failures into the starting point for the path to success.

Be honest about the situation.

Be honest, especially with yourself, when failure occurs. This will give you the proper perspective to move forward.

Take advantage of the failure.

Exploit the moment; pick it apart to learn everything you can. Ask the Lord to give you wisdom and understanding to help learn from the failure. The most valuable lessons we can learn come from the mistakes we make.

Never use failure as an excuse not to try again.

Keep trying may be the best approach. At one point in his career, Babe Ruth had struck out 1,316 times, but he did not stay in the dugout. It may take several job applications before you are noticed or it may take multiple attempts to run the marathon before you cross the finish line, but success can only come if you keep trying.

Charles Kettering suggested we must learn to fail with intelligence. He commented, “Once you have failed, analyze the problem and find out why because each failure is one more step leading up to the cathedral of success. The only time you do not want to fail is the last time you try.”

What steps are you taking to turn moments of failure into the launch pad for success?

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