In 2008, J.K. Rowling gave the commencement address to the graduating class at Harvard and titled her speech, “The fringe benefits of failure and the importance of imagination.” I wish I could have been there, as both of these ring so true to me today. More importantly, I sure could have used learning that lesson much earlier in life.
As a college student and in my early professional years, the idea of failing was the tiger chasing me from behind–always keeping me running faster. It could have never occured to my younger self that failing might have its benefits. Did you understand this when you were younger? Do you actually believe it, today?
Yet, today I know that I have learned more from my failures than my successes and that many of my successes came from the ashes of my failing.
But the biggest benefit of failure is NOT the lesson you might learn from the fall. The benefit comes from trying at all!
So many people give up–on an idea, a vision, a dream–long before they ever begin because they fear failure. I bet you can think of at least a few times you never tried because you did not want to fail. I can.
The willingness to fail and learn from your mistakes might be the single most important determining factor on whether you will succeed.
If you think failing puts you in the company of loosers, remember then Thomas Edison attempted to create the incadescent light bulb over 10,000 times before succeeding. When asked how he could continue after failing so many times he replied that he did not fail but came that much closer to the right answer.
So how about it? What could you try? How might you challenge your status quo and go outside your comfort zone?
