Embracing Failure

 Engaging in serious conversations about life with friends and adults alike is something I have really enjoyed over the past couple of years. I think sometimes when you are younger, you are so caught up in your own world that you forget that your parents, uncles, and grandparents still do have dreams of their own. I have found the different perspectives both fascinating, whether I agree with them or not. However, there is one thing that I have picked out, which I find to be a great shame: the fear of failure has killed more dreams than failure ever did.

As people, we have a desire to be validated by other people. I know I certainly do. I enjoy when people praise me for being good at something or achieving a milestone, and I’m sure you do too. I think we assume the complete inverse happens when we fail. We feel that when we don’t reach a milestone, people think of us less. We think that the praise we get from success turns into slander when we fail, and that isn’t the case.

I was speaking to a friend who wants to pursue a degree in engineering but has decided not to because of the possibility that they might fail. I simply asked them the question, “What if you don’t?”. Life is difficult. The odds of simply being alive aren’t in your favour, but here you are, reading this blog. The possibility of failure is what makes things worth pursuing. There is no nobility or courage where there is no risk or chance of failure. Less than 0.5 percent of footballers make it to the professional leagues; the chances of failure are exponential; however, people still make it. It may seem idiotic to pursue something when the odds are that stacked against you, but it doesn’t mean you shouldn’t pursue it if it’s your dream. Lionel Messi, Cristiano Ronaldo, Tom Brady, and many others in all different fields were told that they had no chance of fulfilling their dreams, but look at them now. Yes, you might have a crazy dream, you might get rejected by that girl, and yes, you might fail, but you might not, and that alone is what makes the things you want to do worth pursuing.

There is nothing more important than dreaming; it’s free! Yes, you have to work, sacrifice, and do a whole bunch of other things, but you have to start somewhere, and that all starts with a dream. I dream of one day having a really popular blog, writing about whatever I want, and being able to share my thoughts with a wide audience. Will this dream come true? Probably not, but that doesn’t mean I should stop writing my blogs. Who cares if it fails? I pursued what I wanted to do, and it just wasn’t meant to be.

Go ask that girl out, go study that degree, go start that business you dream of. There is no greater life purpose than attempting the great impossible. The fact that something seems impossible isn’t a reason to not pursue it; it’s exactly what makes it worth pursuing. There is no bravery or courage where success is certain, and the only way to truly fail in life is to shrink from its challenges.