What kind of failure will you choose?

I know it might sound like a strange question because most people don’t actively seek out failure. They avoid it at all costs.

But when it comes to failure, you have two choices. You can fail by trying but also by not trying.

Which one will you choose?

The bad news about failure is that it is unavoidable. But the good news is that it’s not permanent. When it happens to you, it might seem permanent in the moment, but with time, you’ll come to realize failure is only an impediment on the path you’re on, and there are many other paths.

Yes, there are obvious concerns that are inherent to failure by trying. There are financial risks; at times, there might even be physical risks, and of course, the one that prevents most people from trying is the reputational risk.

What will people think of me if I fail?

Of course, what’s more, important is what you think of yourself if, or more likely, when you fail.

While all the risks I mentioned are valid, there is, in my opinion, even greater risk in not trying. And that is regret.

Regret isn’t a feeling that you grasp until much later in life. And it’s because of its elusive nature that you don’t realize its weight on your psyche and soul until it’s too late.

If you spend time speaking with individuals that are in the twilight years of their lives, you’ll often hear them listing regrets about things they wished they had done. And among the regrets they have, taking more risks is regularly at the top of the list, but they were afraid they would fail. And so, they chose not to try.

So, as you go through your life, you’ll hopefully take a bias towards failure by trying. And the more you do so, the more you’ll become immune to the failures you’ll experience as you mature. And when you’re in your twilight years, you won’t be burdened by regret because you’ll have the satisfaction of knowing you chose to try.

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