In life, unlike school, the sample size to measure performance isn’t fixed to a two-hour exam.  In school, we are taught that 32% means failure.  So, what if I told you that you could fail 70% of the time yet be considered a top performer?  Baseball players who fail 70% of the time are considered quite good.

My view is that failure can be golden if managed correctly.  By tweaking a few variables, we can create the conditions for success.  Failure lets us know what variables need tweaking.

In life, we have many chances to overcome our weaknesses.  The sooner we can overcome our weaknesses, the better.  It’s often the cataclysmic failures that force us to seek solutions, placing our footing on “the right track” earlier than otherwise.

As long as we don’t end up jaded, resentful, or negative from failure, we have the chance to grow more positively resilient.  By “positive resilience” I mean being able to come out of failure with a positive and determined mindset: either we’re happier, more at peace, kinder, or more of another noble quality.  And we don’t quit.

Failure leads to growth when accompanied with self-reflection.  When we aim to eradicate any negative thought or deed associated with a failure, we grow.  I believe if we are happy and content with every thought and deed, then we have “arrived.”

Failure lets us know that we could’ve contributed more.  It lets us know what value we could have created, had we known better.   And when failure is being signaled, we can take precautions and change our course of action.  Simply do more of what works and less of what doesn’t, while researching and experimenting with new ideas.

When you fail, reflect on what a perfect performance might’ve looked like.  A perfect performance is one where you optimized your talents, skills, thoughts, feelings, presentation, and actions.  Don’t put any limitations on your perfection (because you truly have no limitations): let your imagination go wild.

If we think about it, if a person gives up, it’s their ego suggesting they can’t do something.  The ego’s “voice” isn’t reality.  We always have the potential to overcome any limitation.  The ego only gets in the way if we let it.

If you fail, yet still desire the end goal, chances are you’ve got huge potential.  In fact, you’ve got unlimited potential.  Where there is a will, there is always a way.

So, what makes failure so special?  If we treat failure as a neutral event while reflecting on ways to improve, we may just beat the 30% success mark and bat a grand slam.