Failure is not the absence of success rather it is the furtherance of it. Failure produces success, it challenges us to not only accept responsibility for our mistakes but also our victories. Failure is evidence of effort. Effort requires risk to fail or succeed. RISK is how we learn. If we are not risking, we are not standing for anything. If we cannot take responsibility for our failure, we cannot take any responsibility for any of our success. How can we measure success or how great our success is if we have not experienced failure? For example, the only difference between a master and a new learner is one has failed more than the other.
Failure produces perseverance and perseverance produces character. It is not if we fail, but is it a matter of when we fail. How do we respond when a failure occurs? It is how we relate to that failure that makes a difference in our lives and the lives of others. We can either use failure to hold us back or propel us into a life of learning.
If I did not fail in the areas that I have, I would not be where I am today. My failures have sprouted a sense of grit within me to be the best version of myself I can be. However, learning how to be your best self often requires moments where we come up short, where we did not get it right. While I used to despise the idea of “missing the mark,” I’m learning to love failure. I appreciate the drive it produces within me to improve, to challenge myself, to know that I am far from perfect. If I cannot acknowledge the power of my failures, I have no way to appreciate the value of my successes.
Failure is not evidence of stupidity or laziness. It is quite the opposite. Failure is evidence that we are contributing to something greater than ourselves.