We need a new word for failure
Fail fast and fail often. -Silicon Valley
Around the world of tech start-ups, this serves as a mantra. For the rest of us it can seem counterintuitive and horrible. Failure sucks. Who would want to fail over and over again?
It is important to understand that different types of failure exist. Our society’s negative connotation of failure is usually correlated with a lack of effort or laziness. Getting a failing grade in school, because you didn’t do the work, for example. Yet, a different failure exists, what entrepreneurs and artists experience. Failure through effort. Perhaps we require separate words for the two types of failure.
Failure though effort is where magic happens. Where companies are built. Where art is made. Where music is composed. Where recipes are created. They all come from the ashes of failed attempts. This failure, creates the world of tomorrow. No one gets it right the first time; we can’t. From your first attempt to walk, to the first time playing an instrument. The first time you do anything, you try and fail, then repeat. Enough failure leads to learning, growth, and accomplishment.
Failure from effort is what life is about. Its what you need to strive for, attempt something new. Try, attempt, and as the mantra states, fail often, learn then try again. Every day if you can. Push yourself, iterate and improve your business, your art, your relationships. The only way to achieve those results is to take risks, and make some messes.
I am an artist, I paint daily. My work never looks as I plan. I can never seem to create the vision in my head. I try again and again. Yet, within those failures, I often find a technique or an image that I can incorporate into another work. A “mistake” leads me down a different path I wouldn’t have thought of. The iteration leads to new images, new ideas and more interesting work. Over time all these little failures change the course of the work into something that is amazing. Even when the work looks exceptional, I keep going, iterating, adding more . Often times “messing up” a piece I thought looked good. I went a bit to far, ruined it. Damn. Time to fail again.
Change the way you see failures, they are more positive that the word gives credit. When you learn from the attempt, mistake, failure? What should we call it? A word to describe that growth process? Pain for a second, sure, then much is gained. This is how we learn. So get out there and fail. Get out there and take action. What ever it is you are pursuing? Push ‘til it breaks, then learn how to fix it. Fail often enough and growth ensues. That is where you want to be.
What would you call this type of failure? I would love to to hear what you think. Leave me your ideas in the comments.
Shawn Kolodny is an artist, writer (almost), and entrepreneur. You can check out his artwork here.
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