SUCCESS REQUIRES LEARNING FROM FAILURE  (Part 1)

We live in a society that views mistakes and failure with extraordinary negativity. One important thing that students, as well as people in general, forget is that mistakes are great teachers in the school of life, and failure is a step and a bridge to the destination called success. Careful review of the biographies of all successful academicians, artists, inventors, entrepreneurs, musicians, athletes, and footballers, among others, proves this fact: failure is a crucial step to success. Indeed, the inspiring tales of the world’s greatest achievers in their respective fields unequivocally demonstrate that success and failure are inextricably linked, much like how positive and negative energy combine to generate light. Please take a moment to consider the remarks made by these great achievers below.

Thomas Edison, the greatest inventor of all time, failed 1,000 times in trying to make the electric bulb that we see today. When he finally succeeded and a reporter asked him how it feels to fail 1,000 times, he replied……”I have not failed. I have just found 1,000 ways that won’t work.

Michael Jordan, the greatest basketball player of all time, shared his practical experience with rejection from his high school basketball team. After being asked in an interview what has made him more successful than his competitors, Michael Jordan remarked that, “I’ve missed more than 9000 shots in my career. I’ve lost almost 300 games. 26 times, I’ve been trusted to take the game-winning shot and missed. I’ve failed over and over and over again in my life. And that is why I succeed.”

Abraham Lincoln, one of the most celebrated presidents in American history, failed many times in politics. He suffered defeats in more than 90% of the elections he contested from the age of 22 until the age of 51, when he was elected as the president. Finally, this outstanding man defined success as the “ability to move from failure to failure without any loss of enthusiasm.”

Failure is just the first step toward success. Naturally, every child consciously and unconsciously understands that failure is a step to success. In learning how to walk, for example, children fall many times, but each time, they get up and try again, and this falling down and rising up continues until they are able to walk. The lesson children teach us is that real and lasting success comes only after facing trials, disappointments, frustrations, and defeats, all of which are meant to strengthen you and make you a better person. My dear reader, never give up on the dream you are pursuing simply because things are not going the way you expect them to go.

In real life, we have all learned new skills, but we learned them only after first failing to do them properly. Just watch a parent introduce a child to any new activity, from writing, drawing, and playing to reading and performing arithmetic. Commonly, the child fails at first, often becoming frustrated, angry, and sometimes tearful. As this happens, common responses from the parent include “Don’t worry, you will get better with time and practice,” “Keep trying; nobody does it right the first time,” “Anything really important takes patience and effort,” and many more. When you fail in any activity, remember that it’s normal and a crucial step towards success.

Modern science is based on the principle that failure is a step to success. Scientists know that an experiment is never truly a failure; it is a lesson. What people called “failure” in an experiment teaches scientists what not to do and pushes them to look for another approach until they find one that works. Fortunately, there are always possibilities to learn and rise above failure. Even if you try your best and still fail or get bad grades, remember that failing is not the end of the world.

The next time you encounter a setback, consider it a learning opportunity rather than a defeat. Don’t retreat—reflect, recalibrate, and rise. Behind every mistake is a lesson, and behind every setback is the seed of a comeback. Real success isn’t the absence of failure—it’s the courage to keep going in spite of it. Every stumble forward is still a step toward greatness. Keep learning, keep growing, and remember failure doesn’t define you—it refines you.

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seiba@ascopublications.com