Our Academic Lead Chris Jasko reflects on the importance of failing, and learning to embrace the lessons a setback provides us on our road to professional and academic success.
Understanding failure
“I have not failed. I've just found 10,000 ways that won't work.” - Thomas A. Edison
Walt Disney; Michael Jordan; J.K. Rowling; Abraham Lincoln; many famous names have faced dire circumstances, only to turn their arrival at rock bottom into something more remarkable. The concept of failure can be a tricky one; what may seem like a final, irreversible defeat is often just the catalyst for success.
Success and failure are seldom binary; rather than achieving 100% success or failure, our endeavours often fall somewhere on a spectrum. The core of achieving success is having the resilience to overcome failure. To fail at something encourages us to reflect on our shortcomings, and learn from them.
Failure as experience
“The only real mistake is the one from which we learn nothing.” - Henry Ford
We all have different definitions of failure; for a research team it could be a hypothesis returning unexpected results; for a corporation this could mean financial loss; for an individual it could be poor interview performance. Each of us experience moments of self-doubt, and it is only natural to fear a poor outcome. Society emphasises the importance of success, or ‘making it’. Similarly, it stigmatises failure to the extent that many are afraid to begin, and therefore fail by default.
But if we do not stop trying, have we really failed? Throughout history, and across cultures, there are countless proverbs attesting to the value of perseverance. Lopez also suggests that to achieve immediate success in something may in fact be detrimental to our long-term results.
Many employers do not see failure as a negative. Instead, they focus on how you develop from the setback. This exhibits your confidence to try new tasks, or different strategies, and gives you unique experience. All of us will endure some form of setback in our lives, but those who go on to be successful have learnt to recover from it quickly, and keep moving forward.
Rising from the ashes
“Failure is so important. We speak about success all the time. It is the ability to resist failure or use failure that often leads to greater success. I've met people who don't want to try for fear of failing.” - J.K. Rowling
It may come as no surprise that J.K. Rowling references the Phoenix in the Harry Potter series: in classical mythology, the Phoenix was a magnificent bird which would regenerate after death. Many famous names have stated how initial failure helped to influence their later success.
It is important to develop a resilience to the failures we face in all aspects of life. Instead of allowing the collective weight of your failures to hold you down, use them to build towards your goals, one step at a time. By recognising the potential for growth, and seeing your setbacks as opportunities, you’ll develop a clearer understanding of your goals, and a greater appreciation of success.
Failure, in essence, is an education.
