Do you learn more from failure or success?

While both failure and success contain their own set of lessons, it’s almost always failure that inspires additional learning.

Why is that so?

Because success lures you into thinking you’re doing everything correctly, whereas failure reminds you that you’re not.

The sting of failure is what forces you to look for alternate paths. And it’s in the seeking of new ways of acting and doing that you begin to grow and learn.

Before I continue, let me clarify that there absolutely can be a downside to failure. Some people never recover from what could be considered catastrophic failures. Failure so significant that the individual gives up emotionally and, in some cases, even physically. Fortunately, failure on such a grand scale rarely occurs for most people.

Failure, when treated appropriately, is an opportunity to pause and reflect. Failure is an opportunity for you to improve your decision-making. It’s even an opportunity to recalibrate and, in some cases, even redefine your mission.

If you re-read the preceding paragraph, you’ll notice that I used the word opportunity several times. I did that by design because I want you to think of failure as an opportunity and not a negative event. I understand that rephrasing failure as an opportunity does not remove the emotional turmoil associated with it. But once you get through -and hopefully you will – experiencing the rollercoaster of emotions connected to failure, you’ll begin to see new opportunities arise.

So, the next time you find yourself failing at something, try to reframe it as a learning opportunity. I know it’s easier said than done, but still doable. Use your failures as stepping, no, not stepping, but learning stones on your way to success.

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