Celebrating Failure
How many of us celebrate our successes…. all of us! But how many of us celebrate our failures… none of us. Maybe we should start looking at it the other way, start celebrating our failures.
I was 9 years old and I was trying out for an elite gymnastics club with my best friend Sharon. I was so excited that day as her mother drove us to the trials. Unfortunately I didn’t even make it past the front door when a very uncaring woman from the club told me (and the rest of the room) that I was too fat for gymnastics. They wouldn’t even let me in to show them what I could do. I was crushed!!
I was very lucky that my mother was very smart woman and as I was in tears at home she gave me 2 good pieces of advice that day:
1 – Never let anyone tell you what you can and can’t do – that if I wanted to do gymnastics then do gymnastics
2 – If I wanted to go to the Olympics then maybe I should try another sport.
In that moment she was teaching me to think outside the square and she was building my resilience. I can celebrate that failure now because it put me on a different sporting path to becoming an elite swimmer and I have been able to use her lesson in all aspects of my life.
We are so often fixated on achievements and triumphs which bring us joy and satisfaction, but it's our failures that truly shape us, driving us towards growth and building our resilience. Embracing our failures can be a profound and transformative experience.
We learn more from our mistakes than our victories because failures illuminate the path to success by highlighting what doesn't work and we can reframe them as stepping stones rather than stumbling blocks.
While success is undoubtedly worth celebrating, it's essential to place equal, if not greater, emphasis on our failures. Failures are the stepping stones to success, offering unparalleled opportunities for growth, resilience, and innovation. By celebrating our failures, we not only embrace the lessons they bring but also foster a culture of continuous improvement and transformation. In doing so, we become better equipped to face life's challenges and reach our full potential.
‘When you fail or encounter setbacks, celebrate the fact that you now have the opportunity for growth and learning which will promote perseverance and belief in yourself.’
– Carol Cooke AM PLY