Embracing Failure: A Pathway to Personal Growth and Resilience
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Chapter 1: The Value of Failure
Failure… what can it truly teach us? It turns out, quite a lot.
I have a deep passion for personal development, which has led me to participate in numerous classes at various wellness and spiritual centers throughout New York City. At one point, I sought the expertise of a Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) practitioner in Chinatown, where I experienced acupuncture and herbal remedies aimed at restoring my vitality. During my time volunteering for a vegan cooking show, I encountered a renowned Argentinian Jewish hypnotist who offered to help me overcome my stage fright through hypnosis.
As my journey of personal transformation unfolded, my support network continued to grow. I joined Kundalini yoga sessions in the Flatiron District, striving for spiritual enlightenment and improved mental clarity. To calm my incessant overthinking, I delved into Zen Buddhism, which emphasizes reducing philosophical analysis in favor of intuitive understanding. I appreciated that Zen Buddhism prioritizes personal experience, allowing me to confront the deeper issues within my subconscious during meditation.
This journey positioned me as a Zen Buddhist actively involved as a vegan cook at a yoga and spiritual center, collaborating with a TCM expert, a Buddhism instructor, a hypnotist, a Kundalini yoga teacher, and a therapist who found my journey quite entertaining.
Self-Determination: A Key to Mental Health
In psychology, self-determination refers to the ability to govern one’s own life, which significantly enhances well-being and is vital for mental health. For instance, making decisions independently exemplifies self-determination. Experiencing failure in a business venture or relationship can serve to enhance our self-determination rather than diminish it. We take risks, learn from setbacks, and contemplate changes that foster growth.
Trusting oneself, even when the outcomes seem unfavorable, is both exhilarating and empowering.
Self-Efficacy: Believing in Your Abilities
Self-efficacy relates to an individual’s confidence in their capabilities to achieve desired results (Bandura, 1977, 1986, 1997). Those with a strong sense of self-efficacy are more likely to pursue challenging tasks and ambitious goals. This concept is critical when examining failure; our desire to aim high may be influenced by our self-efficacy.
Setting high goals is commendable, and it’s important to remember that failure is not a definitive endpoint.