Why Failure is the Best Teacher of Them All

I repeatedly hear from people that they’re afraid to fail, even though failure is the best teacher.

They fear what others will think about them if they fumble toward their goals.

They’re afraid to endure the pain of falling short, making fears their reality.

Little do they know that failure is the best teacher.

They stop short of realizing their goals or, worse; they don’t take action.

I certainly have feared failure.

And my fear has paralyzed me.

If you’ve experienced this, you know how much it sucks.

But failure should teach us instead of paralyzing us.

Sometimes the fear of failure is rooted in perfectionist tendencies.

Perfectionists struggle to understand that failure is the best teacher

At their core, perfectionists never feel good enough.

When they realize they’ve made a mistake, it’s enough to take them down a spiral of self-criticism and shame.

Often, this stops perfectionists from doing anything at all.

A perfectionist streak can hurt your health, career, and relationships.

This is because it exacerbates your fears of failure so much that you don’t reach for your goals at all.

Compounding this is the internal judgment and negative dialog that are a part of the perfectionist’s toolbox.

What can help in such situations is grasping the concept that failure can teach you more about life than constant success.

If you relate to this description of a perfectionist, there’s hope!

You can change your perfectionist tendencies by embracing your limitations and failures.

This isn’t a simple thing to do.

It takes ongoing patience, but it can be learned.

Related  How to Be Patient with Your Dreams

Here are five things you can do to become less of a perfectionist and learn from your mistakes.

1. Stop performing

Do you constantly try to make everything polished and perfect?

Does everyone think you’re amazing—all the time?

It can be an addictive and wonderful feeling, but there are better ones.

Like what?

Try being liked for who you really are!

Instead of perfection, aim for genuine.

This will help you feel more grounded and capable of accepting failures and successes alike.

2. Lean into your mistakes

If you’re screwing up, let yourself screw up.

It can even be fun.

Take it from me—a self-professed serious person.

Make a point of not taking yourself too seriously.

Just remember that the general population of the earth is 7.125 billion.

You are just one of those people roaming the earth with your mediocre problems.

Enjoy yourself, friend!

3. See your mistakes as opportunities

There is something to be gained from every instance of failure.

How can you turn the coal of your moment into a diamond?

Take them as an opportunity to learn.

4. Give credit to and enjoy your strengths and limitations

A funny thing happens when you embrace your strengths or limitations—you can better embrace its opposite.

This means you increasingly step into your true self and understand that failure is the best teacher.

See it as a gift: When you’re willing to accept your limitations, everyone around you breathes easier.

This is because when you accept your shortcomings, you create an environment of love and acceptance that helps everyone around you heal themselves.

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Do you think failure is the best teacher?

Tell us one instance when you realized how vital the lesson from failing was!

We would love to hear your story.

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Dr. Kate Siner is an award-winning Professional and Personal Development mentor, speaker, author and radio show host. Kate has a PhD in Psychology and years of both clinical and coaching experience. Her passion is to help people move past whatever holds them back so that they may embrace all they can be. Kate has developed a series of successful personal development programs, newest of which is LifeWork Virtual.
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