No one really thinks about the fringe benefits of failure. It’s no secret that people are afraid to fail. And yes, failure can be terrifying. We’re not going to lie to you. Messing up doesn’t feel good, not measuring up to your own expectations (or the expectations of others) is a letdown and not achieving your goals can be a major knock to your confidence. But here’s the kicker—you’re going to mess up and it’s important that you do. Failure is an essential part of finding success.
If you never lost, you would have no concept of how awesome it feels to win. Similarly, if you never failed then how would you know what it feels like to succeed? As author J.K. Rowling said in a 2008 commencement address at Harvard University, “It is impossible to live without failing at something, unless you live so cautiously that you might as well not have lived at all—in which case, you fail by default.” And that, my friends, is why she is winning at life. The ability to not just accept your failures, but also embrace them, will help you achieve greatness. Here are 15 reasons why the fringe benefits of failure outweigh the pain of failure itself, all of which technically makes failure your frenemy.
1. It’s a Learning Experience
If you succeeded at everything you tried, every time you tried, you would never learn how to improve. Learning is triggered by a desire to be better, and you never fail then you won’t have a drive to make a change.
Read Related: 12 Reasons Why Failure Builds Character
