You Really Haven’t Tried to Fail

This goes out to the comfort-zone people, the sit-sleep-stand on my head and think about it people, and the ‘tried it once and it didn’t work’ people. I’m writing an open note to you because it’s International Women’s Day and the best thing I can do as a woman is using my voice (or, what’s behind the keyboard!) to share a message of embracing the fail.

I want to preface this by saying, failure or failing does not come easy. And, why should it?

Failure comes with so many trials, tears, exhaustion, frustration, the list goes on and on.

Who openly wants to ask for that? 

WE DO! So, bring it, and let’s dive in. 

There is a Need to Fail.

There’s been a history of innate reactions to pain. We’re wired to avoid pain at all costs. With our first inclination that failure is a possibility, we tend to avoid it at all costs because of the associations and let’s not even go into the heart palpations.

Did you know it took over 5,000 failed attempts to get a vacuum right? Yep! Talk about the years of failure James Dyson had to endure for a vacuum!

Chances are James Dyson didn’t have a cheerleader left in sight, to champion his endeavors. Why would they want to continue seeing their friend in excruciating pain – failing time and time again?

And, for what? Vacuums! 

Crazy, huh?

I bring this shocking statistic up to remind us that pivotal moments and experiments are necessary when you feel like giving up and calling it a day. 

I think we can all agree when looking at our own situations and business, specifically, we’ve been down that road when it felt like the four-thousandth time! 

Like we said, You Haven’t Tried to Fail.

I did an Instagram reel in January that mentioned signs of having a selfish brand. Hoping to face procrastination, perfectionism, and fear – all common signs and symptoms we know all too well of avoidance. 

All that talk of avoidance and procrastination is exhausting and paralyzes us more than actually doing the thing. Right? 

If it’s not one thing it’s the other. So, how will we overcome the thing? I’m sure you’re sitting on a gold mine of ideas, notes, dreams, desires, etc. 

But you haven’t tried everything. Matter of fact, you’re probably the bottleneck.

So, let’s be honest: Is the current ceiling ENOUGH for you?

If changing that situation is important, you’ll take an oath to stop self-sabotaging and embrace the fail. 

The more failures we encounter – the more opportunities to grow, learn, open our minds to new possibilities, and expand. We’ve simply run out of room for growth in our comfort zone and that is sometimes what we need to stay focused on. Remember the Dyson story!

The Light at the End of the Fail Tunnel.

Every single day there is an opportunity to fail in hopes of making your dreams, ideas, or goals a reality. This makes life a little spicier, risk-taking and adventurous. 

Changing anything is maintaining a fierce focus on the light at the end when you think you’ve exhausted every possibility. 

We don’t want to see you stop at the 4,999^th time and you just need the 5,000^th!

Lighting the way through change requires failure, patience, time, dedication, help, shutting our mouths and listening sometimes.

I leave you with a few things to keep in mind:

• How can you welcome failure?
• When is the last time you failed and didn’t learn anything?
• When is the last time you sat in silence and listed out the next steps? And, actually, took them?

I wish you much success personally and professionally by looking failure square in the eye and saying, ‘bring it’!

xo, M-C

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