I think as far back as I can remember, I have always been an idea person. A better way of stating this is that I am a person who uses creativity to make something out of nothing, or create a way when there seems like no way. So what happens when ideas flop? Plans dismantle?

I am an expert when it comes to addressing failed ideas and plans. The first instinct for many is to close up shop and quit. Failure introduces us to humility and to the core of ourselves. Failure can nudge us to think a different way—perhaps not the best way. It can feel like a moment of defeat. I have had days when I just had to put my head into my hands, take a deep breath, and think, “What next?”

I want to share my list of things that I have learned first-hand, so that when an idea fails and plans crumble, you can move on in a positive way. What I am about to share is not easy to put into action, but it’s a process that works. It’s not theory or philosophy; it’s real.

1. Take a Break.
Remove yourself from whatever is going on and clear your mind. When things are not working out, your mind will race and get clouded and you may even act irrationally. You don’t want to make choices that contain regret.

2. Don’t Personalize the Failure.
There is a difference between taking ownership of what went wrong and personalizing it. The idea failed, but you are not a failure. This is the process of innovation and invention. Thomas Edison said he didn’t fail thousands of times trying to invent the light bulb, but rather found thousands of ways not to do it.

3. Embrace Encouragement.
It’s good to have a circle of encouraging friends so that when you fall flat on your face, they are there to pick you up and allow you to lean upon them. Encouragement is an invisible source that brightens our thoughts and rejuvenates the spirit to rise again.

4. Evaluate.
Evaluate why the idea failed. Determine what it was that got in the way or prevented the idea from working. This process is a classroom that will enable you to learn lessons that will equip you with wisdom to apply to future endeavors.

5. Don’t Act on Every Idea.
Have an idea folder. I used to get an idea at 3 p.m. and want everyone working on it at 3:01 p.m. There is a difference between urgency implemented with wisdom and urgency without a clear direction. This would burn through resources, money and energy by 3:02 p.m., and fail by 3:03pm. You get the math. Have an idea book. Introduce your ideas to people whose input you value. It will allow you to look at your idea in more dimensions. Normally, we don’t see all aspects and angles of an idea at the start, so introducing it to people first and then developing a course of action is key.

6. Don’t Give Up Trying.
The first instinct when you get thrown from a horse is not to get back up. Trust me; I know. I got thrown off a horse. They told me to get back up. At first I was so scared, but you have to be willing to saddle up and try again. You can’t score in life if you don’t try. You can’t expect things to happen sitting on the bench.

7.  Ideas are Creative Power.
Look around you right now. Look at everything around you. Your clothes. Coffee cup. I-pad. Computer ccreen. Cell phone. Lights. Everything around you was once an idea. Someone dared to put that idea into action and maybe it didn’t work the first time, or the second time, but eventually, they got the idea to fly. An idea is mastered in our imagination. Once you put that idea into action, you are implementing creative power. If you look around you, almost everything is a creative solution to something. Right?

Never stop dreaming. Don’t discount your ideas. The best advice I have ever gotten was someone telling me, “You just never know.” Your idea may be the solution for your business, relationship, health, kids, career, finances—you just never know.

What failure are you wrestling with today? Which of these steps do you need to take? Do you have any other tips to share?

(Photo by Graur Codrin)