For years, I was paralyzed by the fear of failure. Every project felt like a test, every decision an opportunity to mess up. It was exhausting — and it was holding me back.
The Old Way of Thinking
I used to believe that success meant not failing. That the path to greatness was paved with perfect decisions and flawless execution. Sound familiar?
This mindset kept me playing small. I'd only take on projects I was confident I could nail. I'd only share ideas that felt "safe." Innovation requires risk, and I wasn't taking any.
The Shift
The change came when I started reframing failure entirely. Instead of seeing failures as endpoints, I began seeing them as data points.
"Every failure is just information about what doesn't work — and that information is incredibly valuable."
This wasn't about becoming okay with failure. It was about understanding that failure is an integral part of the building process. You can't innovate without experimenting. You can't experiment without sometimes getting it wrong.
How It Changed My Work
Once I internalized this shift, everything changed:
- I started taking on ambitious projects that scared me
- I shared ideas earlier, even when they weren't fully formed
- I shipped faster, knowing I could iterate
- I learned at an accelerated pace because I was trying more things
The Compound Effect
The beautiful thing is that this compounds. The more you try, the more you learn. The more you learn, the better you get. The better you get, the more confident you become. And confidence enables you to try even more.
It's an upward spiral — and it all starts with changing how you think about failure.
