Fail More, Get Better

When I look at the kids training today… I can tell which ones are going to do well. It’s not necessarily the ones who have the most natural talent or who fall the least. Sometimes it’s the kids who fall the most, and keep pulling themselves up and trying again. – Michelle Kwan

If you never risk, you never fail.

If you never fail you never know the pain of falling down, or getting bumped, battered and brusied.

The beautiful thing about failure is that 99.999% of the time it’s not fatal.*

But it teaches a powerful lesson: that falling down is okay. It’s nothing to be afraid of.

People who never risk are in constant fear of the the unknown, of falling down – of somehow not be “okay.”

It’s interesting: risking/”failing” is a big part of getting better, and not-risking/playing-it-safe is most of staying the same.

*  *  *

* This might actually be low and the real percentage is higher . . . .

Similar Posts

  • Learners Are Earners

    Formal education will earn you a living, self education will earn you fortune. – Jim Rohn You know the quickest way to irrelevancy in the 21st Century? Stop learning. *  *  * The world is extremely connected and competitive and the pace of change is accelerating. You simply can’t finish school (whether it be undergraduate,…

  • Choose Confidence

    “People die of fright and live of confidence.” – Thoreau I think Thoreau, among other things, was speaking of courage here. Confidence is what results when courage (being afraid, but taking a reasonable risk anyway) is combined with purpose (the energy that comes from knowing what we want and why we want it). Is courage…

  • How to Get Grit

    Grit is passion and perseverance for very long-term goals. Grit is having stamina. Grit is sticking with your future, day-in, day-out. Not just for the week, not just for the month, but for years. And working really hard to make that future a reality. Grit is living life like it’s a marathon, not a sprint….

  • Become Who You Can

    Success is peace of mind which is a direct result of self-satisfaction in knowing you did your best to become the best you are capable of becoming. – John Wooden One of the things I love about John Wooden is his focus on 1) fundamentals (/habits) and 2) doing the best you can, irrespective of…