Do you want to be braver? Maybe more creative? Do you have some goal you're working towards? Maybe you're trying to keep a relationship alive, or kindle a new one. Whatever you want, there is a simple truth you have to accept in order to achieve it:

You have to be prepared to fail.

This isn't some pessimistic argument that you have to expect failure. This isn't just moving forward with the knowledge that you might fail. This is accepting that failure can happen.

What's the difference between knowing and accepting, in this case? Knowing you might fail is to merely acknowledge the possibility. Accepting that you might fail is acknowledging the possibility and resolving to continue in your endeavor despite that failure.

Failure is a huge part of life. Of course failure is a learning experience, but in more ways than we usually think. We all know that failure tells you that whatever you tried didn't work, that much is obvious. However, how often do we probe the why of a failure? Maybe you took the exact right course of action, but it failed for reasons outside your control and, therefore, should probably try it again. Maybe what you did would work in different circumstances, but your specific situation called for a slightly different course of action.

Instead of just saying "I failed" and move on, sit your failure down and interrogate it. Extract every bit of information you can from every failure. Only after it has been thoroughly questioned should you let it go.

Beware, however, of holding onto a failure too long and questioning it past the point of utility. Dwell only as long as you gain new information from a failure. The moment your thoughts loop back on themselves or new ideas otherwise cease, it's time to move on.

Most of all though, be aware of another truth: Having failed does not make you a failure! History is full of people who failed time and time again but persevered to eventually accomplish great things. What matters in this case is adaptive perseverance in the face of failure. Adapt, change your response as appropriate (see above), and overcome.

Once we accept that we can fail and know how to grow from that, we become capable of more than we thought. We can grow in ways we could never fathom. We can take the risks necessary for creativity. We can take the steps others fear to take because we accept that yes, we might trip, we might fumble, we may even fall to our lowest point, but we keep going.

Once you liberate yourself from the belief that failure is inherently bad, you greatly increase your capacity to achieve.