5 Things I Learned About Failure

I'm not going to sugarcoat it -- failure usually sucks. It can be defeating and overwhelming. Sometimes it tries to tell you that you're not good enough. But I've found that the idea of failure gets less daunting as I get older. Here are five things I've learned about failure.

1. Fail fast and fail early.

The best thing you can do is fail fast and fail early. The earlier you fail, the more time you have to recover and the quicker you recover, the more time you have to move on. If you're going to fail, don't address your failure with any more than it deserves. Be bummed and then move forward.

2. There's joy in failing.

Yep, I said it. Joy in failure. How do you find it? Fail with dignity and pride. If your failure resulted from you absolutely doing your best then that's not a bad day. You did everything you could and you walked away knowing that you didn't get it this time but you're going right back at it head first. Find joy in knowing that you put everything you had into something and that you're getting there. You're trying. Find joy in the process.

3. Failure seems big, at first.

When you fail at something, your heart sinks. You weren't good enough. You didn't make the cut and the world is no longer spinning on the same axis. Remember that this feeling is only temporary. In the rearview mirror, that failure will be a bump in the road. It will be a dot of snow in the blizzard of things that you will do with your life.

4. If you're not failing occasionally, then you're doing something wrong.

Failure is a learning experience. The world just works that way. If you haven't failed in a long time, then you aren't challenging yourself enough. Push your boundaries. Try new things. Don't be afraid to fail because if you are, then you won't grow.

5. Failure might just be exactly what you need.

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Failure can be a slap in the face. It's jolting, sometimes unexpected, and never subtle, especially if you value doing well. But it's an eye-opener. Don't settle for failure. Embrace it and use it to reflect. Find something to work on. Find something to do better or a way to be better. Use it as a stepping stool for something greater.