Why Not Fail?

“There is no such thing as failure.” That is what a colleague of mine once said. While I kept my mouth shut, I couldn’t help but wonder what planet he was living on.

We live in a world where things fail all of the time.

I remember seeing a documentary on engineering and design. It told of how bridges and airplanes developed into what they are today by studying the causes of their failures and improving on the design.

Life is much the same. Some of our financial ventures may not succeed. We lose in sports. Most have suffered from a relationship that has not worked out.

Much like a bridge collapsing, our lives can suffer the same way. It can be devastating. Yet out of that disaster can come the knowledge of how to make our life better. We can make corrections to prevent the same thing from happening again, adjustments that will bring us more joy than ever.

What bothers me is that we are trying to raise a generation and making it sound that failure is to be avoided. Students go from one grade to the next with no fear of having to repeat the grade. They just have to show up to class.

What is important is our attitude towards failure, not the fact that we don’t succeed. If we look at it as an opportunity to make corrections and improve, then it is fine. If we look at it as a reason to give up, then that is not so good.

Mind you, there are some times when it is good to give up. I wanted to become a professional baseball player. It would be a bit ridiculous for me to still believe this was still possible.

Speaking of failure, in baseball, if you fail seven times out of ten, you are a good hitter. Each time you get out, you try to figure out how to get a hit the next time.

So you’ve fallen flat on your face? Life had thrown you something unexpected? While it may hurt a lot, ultimately as you redesign your life like a collapsed bridge or a fallen airplane, you will be stronger for having gone through the experience. You have to be willing to look at the mess honestly and correct the mistakes. That takes courage, but the result will be worth it.