Failure, My BFF

“Failure is not an option!”

That’s a phrase bandied about everywhere, especially in business. Why are we so failure-averse?

Sure, there are times when failing can be a very, very bad thing: brain surgery, parachute folding, bungee jumping. But trying to eliminate it altogether is counter-productive.

The consequences of failure can be painful. At the very least, when we fail, we lose confidence in ourselves. Failure can be expensive, frustrating, and embarrassing. We tend to hide away our failures like crazy relatives. They exist, but we don’t talk about them.

“I failed my way to success.” – Thomas A. Edison

The only calamity is not learning from our failures. Writers know this only too well. For writers, failure is an old friend.

The relationship starts out rocky. Failure is annoying and ever present. It’s there in the red marks on our school essays. It’s there when we send out the products of our heart and soul only to receive letters back that essentially say, “Sorry, it’s not good enough.” It’s there every time we turn around, sticking to us like bubblegum on our shoes.

Once we start to accept failure and all its warts, we understand how it can help us. Like a friend, it points out where we’ve gone wrong and what doesn’t work giving us a chance to improve. Like any good friend, failure then makes us better.

When we change our perspective of failure, when we look at it as opportunity instead of misfortune, then we establish a relationship that can lead us to success.

So, you failed. Join the club. If you want to be successful, get over it!