No matter what you do in life, failure will come at some point or another. Sometimes, those failures can be small, almost insignificant. And sometimes, they can be crushing. But rather than trying to avoid defeat at every turn, the key is to embrace that it will happen sooner or later – and respond accordingly. 

 

Here are four tips to overcome defeat:  

Keep moving.

When you accept that failure is a part of life, it makes it much easier to keep moving when it happens.  Rather than dwelling on your defeat, keep pressing on – keep grinding, keep working. Before long, the defeat will be far in your rearview mirror, and you’ll be focused on tackling your next challenge.  

Make it a learning experience.

What good is a failure if you don’t learn from the experience? It may sound cliché, but try to make your defeat something you learn from. Take stock: What went wrong? Did you contribute to the failure in any way? What could you do differently next time? Are there outside factors out of your control that you should be on the lookout for in the future? Asking yourself questions like these is the best way to learn from your failure and ensure it doesn’t happen again. 

Find a mentor.

A mentor is useful in a wide variety of ways. One of them is helping you deal with and overcome defeat. Mentors, if they’re worth their salt, have also faced defeat in their lives – and they’ll be able to provide sound advice and guide you through this tough time.  

Celebrate the small wins.

Sometimes, after a hard defeat, you need a win. Make a point to celebrate even the small ones – getting through work that day, eating a healthy meal with your family, or doing something nice for someone else. Even something small can make you feel a lot better – it helps you to look on the positive side and avoid dwelling on what you can’t change.  

Become Your Best Self

The next time you feel defeated, try to adjust your mindset around how you react to the situation. Use the tips above to overcome the obstacle and move on – before you know it, you’ll be past the problem and ready to get on with your life.