How You Can Use Failure To Succeed

We’re taught that failure is a negative thing, filled with setbacks and self-doubt. In reality, failure can be conducive to success. All the while scary, failure can lead to feelings of empowerment. Imagine you go skiing for the very first time. The slope is steep, the mountain is tall, and the task feels insurmountable. You start, and you fall. You try again, and you fall. At some point, you get frustrated, but you realize you are in the middle of this mountain and the only way out is down. So you pick yourself up, you take a few deep breaths, and you try again. This time, you finally manage beyond what you thought possible, and you are filled with immense pride and joy. That’s the power of trying something new, failing, yet persevering.

As children, we try new things all the time. We fail, we learn, we grow. But, as we age into adulthood, we tend to become comfortable. We stick to things we are already good at for fear of failure, potentially becoming complacent. Trying new things as an adult can be uncomfortable because, yes, we can fail, but what comes after that? Research shows that failure can actually be incredibly beneficial, as it can help build confidence, resilience, and trust in your abilities to try again, which can extend to all facets of life, including work. 

It’s the beginning of the year, so here’s your chance to commit to trying new things, failing sometimes, and reaping the benefits. 

Some of the world’s greatest discoveries come from mistakes, or “failures”. Changing how you see failure from setback to an opportunity can help you feel more comfortable seeking it out and experiencing it. 

“A lot of people still think of failure as a sign of personal incompetence and try to avoid it at all cost,” said Andrew Filev, software entrepreneur. “But when you view building a business as a series of experiments, you start to see failure as an inevitable step in the process.”

Behavioral research shows that avoiding new experiences is less about ability and more about fear of being judged, looking incompetent, or failing.

Here’s your sign to try new things, fail at them, learn to succeed, and boost your personal and professional confidence. Pick up that new hobby you’ve always wanted to try or return to something you loved doing as a child but lost touch with in adulthood. Doing new things is good for you because it reawakens your brain by getting you out of your routine and comfort zone, making room for expansive views. 

People with a fixed mindset are more likely to avoid challenges and give up quickly when facing setbacks, whereas those with a growth mindset embrace challenges and persist. Adopting a growth mindset can help you relinquish failure as a “bad” thing and embrace it as something that has the power to help you achieve your goals. 

How much nicer is it to cook a meal for friends rather than just yourself? Don’t hard tasks feel easier when someone says, “Come on, I’ll do it with you?” That’s because we’re social creatures who thrive on collaboration and partnership. Having an accountability partner has been found to boost health, happiness, and commitment. If you want to try bouldering, call a friend who might want to join and see if it becomes a regular thing. 

Or maybe you want to crochet. Sure, it won’t be easy, and you’ll need to unravel some mistakes; you might get frustrated. But having a friend there with you, experiencing the same thing, can only make the experience more enjoyable and beneficial. 

Whatever the new thing is you want to try, let yourself be carried into the marvel that is novelty, relinquish the fear of failure, and see what happens. You might be surprised to find that even if you fail (and you probably will) it will make you feel better than if you hadn’t even tried at all.