Why Failure is Crucial

Everyone fails from time to time. Bouncing back from those failures? That's what counts.

On can measure success in a multitude of ways. For youngsters like myself, success may come in the form of a good grade on a difficult assignment or a healthy and happy family. In Ruturaj Kohok’s article 6 Reasons Why Failure is As Equally Important As Success, she explains failure in all its glory. She begins by saying that only the crazy would ever dream of failure, but goes on to say that most people are not “equipped” to deal with failure despite its inevitability and abundance in all aspects of life. Many neglect to realize that failure represents a necessary stepping stone on the path to success. 

I know I have had countless failures in my life, and I’m only fourteen! Most of my failures, although not insanely impactful in the grand scheme of things, typically consist of not performing well in a Tuesday night soccer practice or getting a B instead of an A on an important test. Even so, I have learned a few things in my fourteen years of life. One of them? Failing is a necessity. 

Failing can teach you value.

After getting my first B on a math test in elementary school, I got into my mom’s car with tears welling in my eyes. I could not believe that I had gotten a B! My mom looked at me, trying to think of all the possible reasons I could be in the state that I was in. I told her why my day had gone completely downhill and she looked at me with hopeful, almost smiling eyes. She said, “you will never know the highs if you never experience the lows.”

It may sound cliche, but I will never forget this lesson. I could never understand how lucky I am to do “good” without knowing how it feels to do “bad.” Experiencing failure is critical to fully appreciating success. 

A failure is an opportunity.

When I think of failure, I do not think of an opportunity, but it is often just that. Failure opens a window for me to find an alternate path to my goal. By failing, I can figure out and decide what works best for me to succeed. Even when cooking a meal or dessert, I think of what I could do differently next time to make it more enjoyable. It could involve doing a math problem in a different, possibly more efficient way than I did before to make my experience overall better. Although not enjoyable, failure can open new doors. 

Failure can strengthen you in various ways.

Although failure essentially represents the act of getting destroyed or torn down, it can also build you up or strengthen you. Oftentimes, people say that “it’s okay to fail or make mistakes, it’s how you deal with it that counts.” With this small yet significant piece of advice, one can see the importance of acting proactively to solve a problem. Construct a new plan so that instance of failure cannot recur time and time again. After the initial wave of defeat, one can choose many different options to combat failure: possibly taking the situation head on or changing your method to receive a better outcome. Choosing a proactive and healthy way to deal, cope with, and overcome your failures is of the utmost importance in order to become the best version of yourself. After failing, the process one has to go through to make a comeback can strengthen a person in so many ways. Failure is inevitable. Pushing back is what counts. 

Failure is not a happy, enjoyable, or enviable event, but reacting to it and learning from it can lead to many desirable outcomes: wealth, mental (and possibly physical) strength, determination, drive, and countless other characteristics some only dream about. One should not shy from failure, but face it head on and with determination. This can get you to a point that you never thought possible. Failure can help you realize your dreams.