The importance of failure
Why failing is good for you
In modern society, failure is often seen as something negative. But have you ever wondered why? Who decided that mistakes, defeats, setbacks, and missteps should be avoided at all costs?
Today, we tend to categorize every experience as either positive or negative, but in reality, experiences are simply experiences, and their sole purpose is our growth. As children, we all learned through exploration and trial and error. We learned to stand by falling, to recognize heat by getting burned, and to understand cold by getting a brain freeze from eating too much ice cream too quickly! 😊 And every time we "failed," we didn’t judge ourselves for not being good enough - we simply lived the experience and learnt from it.
An overprotective upbringing that prevents children from falling, getting dirty, or taking risks, can make them more insecure and fearful as they grow. Modern society, with its obsession with efficiency and perfection, conditions us to avoid mistakes at all costs - and when we do make them, it punishes us for it. But mistakes are precisely what allows us to grow. Failure becomes the driving force that pushes us to improve and find our way in the world. If we never experienced the discomfort of actions that don’t serve our purpose, we wouldn’t know how to change and evolve.
Failure as a Teacher
In life, as in mindful movement practice (or any other kind of practice), recognizing and accepting mistakes, imperfections, and setbacks can be difficult. And seeing them as opportunities for learning and growth can be even harder. Yet, failure is one of the most valuable experiences we can have.
Mistakes are powerful tools: they provide honest feedback, like a mirror reflecting what we think and do. They help us understand the direction we’re taking and assess whether it’s truly right for us. However, we often get frustrated when we do something "wrong" or fail to do it "the right way." But right and wrong are social constructs, not absolute concepts. They only exist in relation to standards imposed by others.
When we get caught up in self-judgment, we risk overlooking the true value of our mistakes. We become so focused on correcting them that we fail to recognize what they are teaching us. Yet, without trial and error, there would be no learning.
Of course, success is also important as it keeps us motivated to continue. But failure is what truly helps us evolve.
Embracing the Challenge
Welcoming failure as an integral part of personal growth and mindful movement is one of the hardest challenges we can take on. Modern society constantly pushes us in the opposite direction, toward an obsessive pursuit of perfection.
But perhaps, it is for this very reason that it’s worth trying! Are you ready to change your perspective on failure?
