I find it fascinating when I see successful people publically fail and then watch others and their reactions to that failure. This is highly visible during sporting events when fans expect the star player to perform well and can't believe it when he/she doesn't. I hear comments such as, "I can't believe he missed that pass, putt, shot, etc."

 

The truth is: successful people fail often and that is what makes them better - they learn from failure much more than they learn from success. They use failures to their advantage rather than viewing them as setbacks (refer the Michael Jordan quote on the right).

 

I recently discovered this when I attended a drawing class to capture concepts and discussions that happen in planning sessions and training classes. Knowing I had no talent for drawing, I tried again anyway - not ready to give up on myself. My results were disastrous, and I readily made fun of my efforts. When I showed the trainer my work, I was surprised that she pointed out what I had done well. I learned for myself that from failure also comes success. The two are intricately linked.  

 

Failure is an inevitable part of being human ("to fail is human"), yet so many people avoid situations where they think they may fail. Does your fear of failure keep you from becoming great at something or even having fun because you don't try? Just go for it! Even a failure is a success, so you have nothing to lose and everything to gain.