“Success isn’t always about greatness. It’s about consistency. Consistent hard work leads to success. Greatness will come.” — Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson

It is very well known that failure is the best tool for growth. This is a belief held in every walk of life, both professional and personal. However, nobody ever harps on about what you can learn from success. It is possible that this is because the failure/growth idea is partly designed to make us feel as though all is not lost when we fall. However, it is also because success aligns with one having done everything right.

That said, even success can be achieved via a few mistakes, so lessons can be learnt there. But also, there is plenty to grow from when goals are hit.

1. Success is Something You Can Achieve

Coming out on top makes us feel good. If you have been working against the odds for some time, and this win has come after a string of failures, then absorb the lesson that success is possible. If you keep going, eventually the tide will break. Success after a long slog also teaches us that our patience and resilience are worth investing in, as it will eventually lead to positive outcomes.

2. You Know What Works

When you have a big success, don’t just throw it in the ‘win pile’ without giving it a little examination. Overall success through it may have been, what specifically worked really well on this occasion? Did you take a risk and do something differently that paid off? Would you take exactly the same risk again or is there still room for even more improvement? What learned lessons did you implement going into this situation and were they proven to be valuable?

Also, every success tends to be made up of hits and misses (more hits, of course). Even though you came out on top this time, still pay attention to what didn’t work so well, and think about how those things can be improved upon next time.

3. You Are Less Cautious

Getting good results also helps our confidence a great deal. It makes us more courageous about risk and bold decisions going forward. If you did something very left field last time and it paid off, you are much more likely to do it again. This, in turn, is a great catalyst for growth (in yourself and for the business you work for) and leads to bolder more innovative ideas.

4. A New Foundation

Big successes are a cumulative result of the sum of smaller successes. Every success is a new foundation for fresh successes to be built on top. Use your newfound knowledge and resources to inform your new risks and to build on what you have already built.

5. Conceding Failure with More Ease

Now, back to the smaller components of big victories. If you win, and you feel great, you will likely be in a much better mental place, and therefore more open to accepting and building on the failures within your success. Take this opportunity to really take on those less successful elements and use the confidence and positive energy you have acquired in that moment to work out how to set them right.

6. Learning from the Success of Others

You need not focus solely on your own work. Indeed, if you look to other people’s triumphs, you will have even more information and inspiration going into your next project. Collaboration and communication are always a great way to broaden your thinking. So, when your colleague scores big, show interest. ‘How did you do it?’, ‘What did you learn?’, ‘Do you have any advice for me on my next project?’.

By Chris Thomson

 

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