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Failure as success
We are all growing and learning. Sometimes we stumble. Sometimes we fall. Did our life end because of a mistake? Probably not. Know that we all struggle with our challenges. Comparing yourself to another person is a
wasted exercise. They are where they are on their journey and you are where you are on your journey.
Each of us is exactly where we are supposed to be. Think about a child learning to walk. They fall down - lots right? How else do you learn to walk if you don’t keep trying and learning about balance? The older we get the less acceptable society has made it to fall and that limits our desire to try. When you’re not trying you’re not learning. In school we’re asked time and time again, “What’s the answer?” The implication is there is only one “right” answer. Rarely is there only one answer. Children are natural explorers, they aren’t afraid to try things. When do we “teach” them to be more cautious and “give the right answer”? How do we change our educational system to encourage and strengthen our children’s natural exploration tendencies? Removing failure from the system would help. Obviously we all do things “wrong”; failure will always happen. We change our attitude about failure. Each failure is not wrong; it’s just not right. Thomas Edison tried thousands of different filaments to get his light bulb to work. Did Edison fail? His goal was to find a good filament and he failed thousands of times. Thousands of failures and one success. It’s life. Failure is discovery. Failing eliminates alternatives and moves us toward success.
Think about something that you have made; cooking, woodworking, or drawing. Think about the process. Did you make “mistakes”? Was it easier the second time? Did you have some “failures” that gave you ideas on how to
make the job easier or the outcome better?
Try this:
Celebrate your failures. Failing is an acknowledgment that you are learning. You are a discoverer. You are closer to success than you were. Failure is success.
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