Let’s walk through that scenario shall we. Let’s think of a baseball game where nobody failed at their given task, EVER!

The pitcher: would of course pitch the perfect strike

The batter: would then manage to hit the perfect pitch

The outfielders: would make each and every catch

What would be the point of the game? Scores would always be 0-0 and we would always know the outcome. Pretty boring. Failure is part of playing the game in order for the game to have a point, an unexpected outcome.

Many of us are afraid of failure so much so that we suffer “paralysis by analysis”. We keep thinking of all the reasons to why not do something more than the benefit that may be achieved by taking the risk and giving it your best shot. There are times we either fail to try or, after the smallest set back, we either give up or fall apart.

I must admit it took me a while to fully understand and embrace that in order to succeed you will fail at one point or another. It is part of life. The more you risk – the more chances you take – the more you will face times where two or more tries are required.

The secret ingredient is to learn from the experience. To find the lesson in It and to be able to put it in perspective and understand (or at least try to understand) what went wrong before you give it another shot.

There is of course a way to mitigate failure or set-backs: preparation, practice, rehearsal. In other words the harder you work, the luckier you will become. Most importantly, the easier it becomes and the greater the chance for success.

When you fail, acknowledge the feeling and, if need be, have a pity party, lick your wounds and know that most things we fret about are not a matter of life or limb. Most of the time, it is merely our ego that is bruised. Let’s face it, each time you get it “wrong” you have learned how not to do it the next time or how it is “not done”.

If you can go through your day in auto pilot and know how to do everything you do with your eyes closed, it is time to shake things up. Get out of your comfort zone and learn something new, challenge yourself, try-fail-then try again.

If you do not fail at the first try, perhaps you are not challenging yourself; you are playing it safe and not growing and being the best or the most that you can be.

As for the magical question “if you knew you could not fail what would you do?

My answer would be:  “I would give anything/everything a shot until I got it right if it meant that much to me”. Wait a minute I already do that and so can you.

Here are what some “friends” of mine have to say on the topic:

“Only those who dare to fail greatly can ever achieve greatly.” – Robert F. Kennedy

“Mistakes are the portals of discovery” James Joyce

“I have not failed. I’ve just found 10,000 ways that won’t work.” – Thomas A. Edison

“Success is most often achieved by those who know failure is inevitable” Coco Channel

What can I tell you, I run with a fun crowd. !

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