Why It’s Good to Fail
Failure comes with a stigma in our culture, and no one ever wants to admit to their losses, although mistakes can be good opportunities for us to receive feedback and pivot if we approach them with the right mindset. One of my favorite quotes about failure comes from the greatest basketball player ever to live and the world's most competitive athlete, Michael Jordan. He says:
"I've missed more than 9,000 shots in my career. I've lost almost 300 games. Twenty-six times I've been trusted to take the game-winning shot and missed. I've failed over and over and over again in my life. And that's why I succeed."
Michael Jordan has such a healthy and positive perspective on failure. Instead of having an entirely negative experience when we fail, we should realize that each failure allows us to reevaluate our stance and priorities. Instead of focusing on the bad feelings and emotions that come with our failure, we should ask ourselves, "What is this failure trying to teach me?"
Failures in life, big or small, give us valuable feedback that we need to know to grow professionally and personally. When we encounter failure, we experience and learn what is destined for us. If something does not work in our favor repeatedly, we can assume the situation is not meant for us for a reason. We don't have to know the reason to understand that life will guide us to where we need to be. If we still want to achieve that outcome, failure gives us valuable feedback on approaching the situation differently the next time. Doing the same thing repeatedly and expecting a different result is the definition of insanity for a reason.
Failures ultimately give us opportunities to learn. Loss is a natural part of life. Everyone encounters failures in the pursuit of their goals. Failure is as much a part of success as success is. If you never fail, then you never succeed, which is what Michael Jordan meant in the above quote. He learned how to grow with every missed shot and lost game. Failure and success are very much interwoven concepts. You can only have one with the other. So go out there and don't fear making mistakes or looking stupid because this is how you learn to improve. You will have gone much further and learned more than the person scared of losing or looking wrong. Playing is safe doesn't teach us much or provide us with essential feedback we can use to grow and improve. We need to get out of our comfort zones and experience life's good and bad parts. Like John A Shedd said,
"A ship in the harbor is safe, but that is not what ships are built for."
Failures are the yin to the yang of success in life; they are both opposite yet interconnected forces. If I haven't convinced you that failure is a good, necessary part of life, then check out what American author, syndicated columnist, and businesswoman Arianna Huffington said:
"Failure is not the opposite of success, it's part of success. When you realize that, you free yourself from the fear of failure. In life, failure is inevitable. And the best leaders learn from their failure."
