Throughout life, there will be several challenges, some easier than others. Although the ones that knock you down can be tough, it was probably for the better. Failure isn’t necessarily something to be ashamed of; it’s more of something to learn from. 

The word failure in the dictionary is a “lack of success”; however, Albert Einstein put it best when he said, “Failure is success in progress.” In the modern age, many theories suggest that you must fail 16% of the time to be successful, although it also varies depending on the opportunity. Failing 16% of the time is only about one out of six times; double it, and it’s only two out of 12 tries. As you get more consistent with it, say 120 tries, only 20 fail, leaving 100 of those tries as a success. If you have straight success, you’re not progressing or learning, just repeating. To learn from failure, you could take a video of yourself doing a push-up or whatever you are trying to learn, so you could then see what you might be messing up or what you don’t need to fix. As an example, during track and field, many people film their throws, jumps, or start to see what they can fix to get more success. Failing at something isn’t bad; it’s something necessary to succeed. 

When you inevitably fail, you can’t just learn from it; you must be resilient enough to keep going back. It will sometimes humble you, but it will be the same journey if you give up and start something new. If you stick with one activity or sport, or even maybe a couple, there will be failure; however, there will also be growth because you persevered. Often, school leans towards the idea that failure is one-and-done, meaning once you fail, you just move on, but there are so many examples that defy that reasoning. One of the biggest is the scientific method that world-renowned scientists use. They have multiple trials, and if their hypothesis is wrong, they have to start over; even if it’s right, they must publish it so others can attempt it themselves. There are some exceptions, such as Lawyers and Doctors who deal with people’s lives; however, the best attorneys or doctors still have to work hard to achieve their current status. 

Whether you’re in middle school, high school, college, or employed full-time, you need to fail 16% of the time to grow. However, you must not only fail but also learn from the failure to succeed.