When we're all busy striving for success, any failure can seem like the end of the world. We all put so much pressure on ourselves. It ends up blinding us from the benefits failure can bring.

Particularly for small businesses, learning as you grow, the hurdles that trip you up on the way can be your greatest lessons. One study followed a group of scientists who had applied for grants early in their careers. They tracked the those that were successful and those that failed to see how many research papers they published, and how important they were, throughout the rest of their work. Those that had failed early on were more 6.1% more likely to publish a high-impact paper than those that succeeded.

The Fear Holds You Back More

Fear of failure can be crippling. Many people are so terrified of something going wrong, it holds them back from getting started. Actually experiencing a failure can make you more resilient and help fight the fear.

Of course, it can still be a confidence knock, but it's not the end of the world. Depending on the experience, you might not feel you can jump up and brush yourself straight away. Taking some time to reflect helps you recognise the positives and give it another go.

It Makes You a Better Person

If you only ever experience success, you'll never understand the experiences of those that struggle. Failure can make you more compassionate and empathetic to the challenges of others.

It also prevents you getting complacent. Using failure as motivation can keep you striving forward where you might previously have stagnated.

You Learn a Lesson

You'll learn invaluable lessons from any failure. Even when you're faced with a devastating loss, reflect on what went wrong and how you can do better. The more catastrophic, the more you can learn from.

We all want to get it perfect first time, but that's almost impossible. Perfection comes from trying and improving time and time again. Don't let this failure keep you down. Learn and keep going.

It Opens New Opportunities

When you miss that goal you've had your eyes set on, it can be difficult to see past it. Missed out on the 'dream' job? It feels like the biggest defeat. But you never know what's coming around the corner!

Some of the most successful entrepreneurs ended up where they did because of an earlier failure. Ariana Huffington launched The Huffington Post after receiving only 1% of the popular vote when she ran for governor of California. Not only did she learn about the power of the internet from her failure, she would never have experienced such success otherwise.

One door closes, another opens, right?

Clearly failure isn't all bad.

If you've experienced an insurmountable challenge, how did you turn it around?

Still struggling? Give us a call - we could help!