Most people seem to have an innate fear of failure, but failure is really your best friend. People who succeed also fail a great deal because they make a lot of attempts. Those who have the most successes also have the most failures. There is nothing wrong or shameful in failing. The only regret lies in never making the attempt. Sometimes the quickest way to find out if something will work is to jump right in and do it. You can always make adjustments along the way.
During college I tried a lot of crazy ideas that I thought might save time. I read time management material and applied what I learned, but I also came up with some original ideas. Most of my own ideas failed, but some of them worked . I was willing to fail again and again for off-chance I might come across something that gave me an extra boost.
Understand that failure is not the opposite of success. Failure is an essential part of success. Once you succeed, no one will remember your failures anyway. Microsoft isn’t Bill Gate’s first business adventure. We have electric light bulbs because Thomas Edison refused to give up even after 10,000 failed experiments. Just make another attempt. You either succeed, or you have a learning experience.
Letting go of the fear of failure will serve you well. If you’re excited about achieving a particular goal, but afraid you might not be able to pull it off, jump on it and do it anyway. Even if you fail in your attempt, you’ll learn something valuable and can make a better attempt next time.
