Fail Better

“Ever tried. Ever failed. No matter. Try again. Fail again. Fail better.” 

This quote by Samuel Beckett, speaks to the art of failing. Unfortunately, most of us do not consider failure an art. Failure is seen as underachievement, a lacking of success. 

What if we look at failure through Samuel Beckett’s eyes? Failure is about getting up when the currents of life keep knocking us down. Failure is an opportunity to learn something new and gain a fresh perspective. 

When we are willing to try again and search for a new approach, we make space for possibility. The willingness, even if slight, is the portal through which choice becomes an option rather than being down for the count. Realizing that we have a choice in our response to failure opens the door for creativity and growth to emerge. 

The Art of Failure…

This is the true art of failing. Getting back up even when we most want to stay down. In this moment we learn something new about ourselves or have a fresh remembrance that sets us on a new path to try again.  After all, for most of us it takes years to become an overnight success.  

“I have missed more than 9,000 shots in my career. I’ve lost almost 300 games. Twenty-six times I’ve been trusted to take the game-winning shot and I’ve missed. I’ve failed over and over again in my life. And that is why I succeed.”  ~ Michael Jordan