Just a few nights ago, I sat and watched the Golden State Warriors fall to the Boston Celtics. This loss was the first this season suffered at home by the Warriors. In the final seconds of the game, the Warriors were trailing by three points. The final shot was placed in the hands of Stephen Curry, who is universally recognized as the greatest three-point shooter in the league. Curry came off a screen with an open look, and without hesitation he fired off a shot. The shot looked good from the time it left his hand, but when it reached the rim, fans watched as the ball rattled off the rim and out. I think every single person in the stadium expected the shot to go in. As it rolled out, there was almost a feeling of disbelief. The best shooter in the league had been given an open look to send the game to overtime, and he failed.

I tell this story in order to draw some comparison to another great basketball player. Some have called Michael Jordan the greatest player in the history of the NBA. Michael Jordan once said “I’ve missed more than 9000 shots in my career. I’ve lost almost 300 games. 26 times, I’ve been trusted to take the game winning shot and missed. I’ve failed over and over again in my life, and that is why I succeed.” This man, heralded as the greatest basketball player ever, has failed over and over again… Yet he had one of the most successful careers in history. He won six championships as a part of the Chicago Bulls. How could someone who admittedly failed over and over again have such a successful career?

What I’ve learned in my life is that failure is bound to happen. There’s no avoiding it. It happens to everyone. Failure is a part of life. In my opinion, failure is important to one’s development. It can be weird to think of failure as being important. This is the way I like to think about it… In order to grow, we must learn; in order to learn, we must make mistakes. Mistakes and failure are an integral part of growth.

The other thing I’ve learned over time is that failure is only temporary. As long as you continue to work, you will eventually succeed. Everyone fails at least once, but each and every one of these people end up finding a way to succeed. It may not be in the way they originally anticipated, but as long as they continue to work, they will find some sort of success.

Throughout my life, I have dealt with failure on a repeated basis. Coming from a sports background, failure was a normal part of the game. It happens! It took time, but I learned that the only way to succeed is to learn from that failure, and to learn how to deal with the fear of failing. One of my favorite quotes of all time comes from Babe Ruth. He said “Never let the fear of striking out keep you from playing the game.” The reason I love this quote is because it applies to so much more than just baseball… It applies to every aspect of life. I pray I never let the fear of failing keep me from pursuing my dreams.