Failing Forward
For as long as I can remember (maybe 3 years now), I’ve wanted to write something with this title. I can’t remember where I first heard about it, but John C. Maxwell wrote a book with the same title. The concept is just so profound and very important to me.
Could it stem from a deep-rooted well-concealed need for perfectionism, that even failures must mean something…be some form of stepping stone in the great narrative of one of life’s true learning concepts?
Well, I don’t know. However, I will say that many things in life are shaped by how you frame them. And, it would do a whole lot of good to frame things positively, especially during learning, or in life generally.
Did you really miss out on this job opportunity or was it a stepping stone leading you to one you’re truly passionate about, and possibly more qualified for due to the work you put in after the first failure? 👀
I guess we would truly never know. But, doesn’t the second framing just sound so much better?
So what made me think about the concept I had intermittently forgotten for roughly 3 years? I’ll tell you.
I had stumbled on her Ted talk about The Fixed Mindset and The Growth Mindset. Then, I went on a lonngggg rabbit hole reading Farnam Street blog on this topic and others, which I might write about in another post. Honestly, if you aren’t subscribed, do so now. It’s good stuff.
Anyways, The Growth Mindset part of Carol’s lectures brought me back to the concept of Failing Forward. Another framing she used was the Power of Yet. So powerful.
I’ll attempt to share more on Failing Forward and the Growth Mindset in the next paragraphs.
Mindsets are lenses with which we see the world around you, your reality. I think the key insight of The Growth Mindset by Carol Dweck is that failure is normal but it doesn’t define anyone. It doesn’t define me, neither does it define you. However, you can choose to either let it trap you or not.
You are not your failures. The Growth mindset, after a failure, says ‘Ohh, I bet I’ll do better next time’. Or ‘That was such a challenge, let me try again and again. I just haven’t gotten it yet’. This is similar to failing forward. When you fail forward, you use the lessons learnt from mistakes, as stepping stones for the next attempt or trial.
A popular dispute is whether intelligence or talent is a prerequisite for success. Guess what? According to Carol Dweck, the studies disagree. That saying that hard work beats talent when talent doesn’t work hard? Well, hard work beats talent all the time, because hard work is necessary for success in the first instance.
While the Fixed Mindset says, ‘I can never get this done’, The Growth mindset says, ‘Well, not yet’.
They say you need 10,000 hours of practice at something to gain mastery. Until you’ve reached your 10,000 hours with proof, don’t stop.
I’m talking to myself here too.
Fail forward! Failure doesn’t just tell you how not to do it next. If used right, it can tell you how to be better or do better.
