We are living through difficult times, and thus failure may be a likely companion. News24 reported on Tuesday, the 16^th of May 2023 that: “The official unemployment rate increased by 0.2 of a percentage point to 32.9% in the first quarter of 2023, from the fourth quarter of last year, Statistics SA reported on Tuesday.

The number of unemployed people increased by 179 000 to 7.9 million, the Quarterly Labour Force Survey (QLFS) shows.”

Retrenchments, failing businesses, inter-personal relationships taking strain and thus prematurely ending along with failing health due to increased stress levels; failure, it seems, is an ever-looming threat.

How though should we view failure? We are conditioned from infancy to abhor failure. Therefore, failure strikes at the heart. Nontokozo Madonsela, Group Chief Marketing Officer at Momentum Metropolitan Holdings, gives her insights on the matter in the latest “How We Did It” Inc.africa edition. In an article titled, “How to Find the Upside of Failure”, she remarks: “from failing a year at university to facing disciplinary action or dismissal at work – makes us feel shame and pain, and takes a huge toll on our self-esteem.” She relates to this feeling of shame through her own life experience, experiences any of us may encounter.

As much as it hurts, can one avoid failure? In an article titled, “Importance of Failure: It Shapes Your Success”, on keepntrack.com, we learn a difficult truth: “Failure is always guaranteed and inevitable. Just ask anyone! Henry Ford, Walt Disney, Steve Jobs, Oprah Winfrey, J.K. Rowling– this is only a handful of people who failed at something in their life. Thomas Edison, inventor, and businessman failed 1,000 times while inventing the light bulb. Among Edison’s 1,093 patents, only 15 of his inventions changed the world. But, he and many others before and after, learned something new and valuable every time they failed.”

The first lesson we learn is that failure is not final, but much rather a learning opportunity. Madonsela explains. “Failure doesn’t mean the end, it just means you need to find a different road. We place ourselves in a negative mindset about failure.”

Some time ago, I wrote about mimetic theory of desire. In an age of social media, where we are voyeurs to the successes, beauty and happiness everyone shares through photos, clips and memes; pressure mounts for many of us to envy the lives of those who surround us. Madonsela recognises this trap, “We also need to stop comparing ourselves to the people around us. The pace and pressure of life today are overwhelming and can increase feelings of failure – especially if you look at your friends, family and colleagues and don’t think you’re keeping up with them or doing as well as them. They have their own challenges to face and overcome – not one person has it all together and a perfect life. We need to know that we are not alone and failure is not the end of our story – personally, professionally or financially.”

An article on Wanderlust Worker outlines the important, if not essential, role failure plays in our lives: “Without failure, we’d be less capable of compassion, empathy, kindness, and great achievement; we would be less likely to reach for the moon and the stars.”

In as much as we should not seek failure – as it is as inevitable as death and taxes – the challenge is in overcoming failure.

One simple word is central to overcoming failure, learning from it and pivoting to achieve one’s goals – grit! In an article on the Washington State University website, titled “Grit and Overcoming the Fear of Failure”: “grit is defined as “passion and perseverance for long term goals.” It means not giving up when things get hard and not giving up when you have setbacks.”

Failure hurts, but it is a wise – yet strict – teacher. It is inevitable and during these difficult times may emerge at any moment, if not more often. For us to realise our individual and collective dreams we must develop the ability to pick up the pieces and rebuild, i.e. grit. If we do not master this ability, failure becomes final.