Failure Leads to Success

I am ready to learn from my mistakes and try, try again.

When do we know we’re ready to learn from our mistakes? It must be when we’re willing to try. 

Some of our finest achievements can be realized, just the other side of our most disappointing mistakes, if we’re willing to try again. In the 2021 International Summer Olympics, USA Gymnast, Jade Carey, had a running misstep followed by a low-scoring vault routine, which put her out of individual medal contention for that event. After years and years of work, she was heartbroken by her mistake.The very next night, she was to compete again with the world’s best in the floor routine. How would she perform? She had spent many years getting ready by practicing repetitive physical and mental skills and trying, and trying, again and again to become qualified as an Olympic gymnast. Even though she had failed in one event, she was ready and willing to try again. She faced her next opportunity with fresh confidence and courage. She executed her highly-difficult floor routine, nearly flawlessly, and earned the Gold Medal. How did she do that? Well, she had paid the price of training her mind and body to progress forward from mistakes, hone skills of excellence, and do her routines again and again. Her mistake didn’t define her as a gymnast…her years of preparation and dedicated effort did.

There is a famous quote in Star Wars from the Jedi-Master Yoda, as he is teaching young Luke Skywalker, he says, “Do, or do not. There is no try.”  Trying is actually doing, like Master Yoda inferred, but there’s something liberating about using the word try when we are learning and working to gain new skills, or improving ourselves, and increasing our confidence. “Try” allows space for error. When we try, we do not have to be perfect. “Try” gives us stretching room toward meeting our own, and other’s, expectations. “Try” allows us to experiment with our possibilities. Then, as we keep on trying, learning from our mistakes, and experiencing noticeable success and progress, we grow into “DO”-ing with resolve and confidence. “Trying” our best leads to physical, mental, and emotional strengthening. Master Yoda must have determined that Luke was ready to move from just trying to doing (Which required him to apply his training with absolute, confident, focus). While we’re learning, we only need to try our best…again, and again. 

YOU G.O.A.T. THIS!

Additional Resources:

Song: Failure Leads to Success. Mp3

Lyrics for Failure Leads to Success.pdf  

12 Examples of Persistence Paying Off.pdf