Fail Forward!

Make Something From Nothing

When’s the last time someone told you it’s okay to screw things up? Well, unless you’re a neurosurgeon or a ballot counter, it’s okay! For most of us, a mistake is an action that can be corrected – it’s not usually the end of the world, although we’re sometimes made to feel that way. Everyone makes mistakes, so don’t let somebody else tell you that your mistakes are any worse than theirs.

Of course, we all prefer to succeed rather than to fail. Just remember that most successes actually are the result of at least one failure, if not dozens. Just imagine the realm of scientific discovery – almost every step forward in the name of science really came from taking a lot of steps back! Although trying does not always mean you’ll succeed, you’ll obviously never succeed without at least trying.

Our mistakes are at least a sign of effort (and of room for improvement!). We just have to keep going until we get it right – study harder, pay more attention to details, listen more carefully. There is honor in persistence – you can’t be faulted unless you just give up. We’re taught from an early age that mistakes are acceptable as long as you learn from them.

By focusing only on successfully reaching our destination, we tend to overlook the journey and all we can learn (and teach) along the way. Every mistake is an opportunity from which either we or our peers can learn something. In “Leadership Secrets of Attila the Hun,” author Wess Roberts illustrates that “every hun is useful, if only to serve as a bad example.”

We all know the adage about “nothing ventured, nothing gained.” If we do nothing, then we teach nothing, learn nothing, and gain nothing. If we are afraid of failure, then we are ultimately doomed to experience it. Embrace life’s challenges, do the best that you can do, and be willing to accept the consequences! Make mistakes, but at least make something!