Thank Goodness for Failure!
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Photo by Georges Tomazou from Pexels
By: Mark Sisson
For our animal brethren, mistakes are very often fatal. Stockpiling too little food for the winter, zigging when they should have zagged to escape the predator’s clutches, or stepping awkwardly and breaking a leg could, and probably did, spell the end.
For better or worse, we modern humans usually get to live with the consequences of our actions. We are around to deal with the aftermath of our mistakes. Even though most of our daily screw-ups are of little consequence in the big picture of life, they still feel awful. Our mammalian brains are wired to be highly averse to failure, pain, and social rejection, though they are unavoidable. As long as you’re living and breathing, you’re going to make mistakes, sometimes big ones.
And if you’re really living—trying new things, boldly blazing a trail for yourself, taking big leaps—you will crash and burn sometimes. You’ll lose your shirt in a business deal gone wrong, someone you care about will break your heart, a perfect opportunity will pass you by because you didn’t pull the trigger at the right time.
I’m speaking from experience here. I like to think I have lived life boldly and to the fullest, and as a result, I have failed big more than a few times. And you know what? I’m profoundly grateful for those failures. Without exception, every failure was a crucial stepping stone to where I am today. From my vantage point as a not-young man (I’m not ready to call myself old yet), I can look back and honestly say that I wouldn’t be where I am today without failing.
