We are a learning society. We spend many years and countless hours learning things in school, taking refresher courses, pursuing post-graduate level course work, and internet classes. Yet, when someone does not succeed, it is a truly enlightened individual that remembers to label it for what it is ... a learning experience. People that are able to recognize this when it shows up in their own lives are able to use it to their advantage. If fact, they are typically very successful because they possess a "willingness to fail". They are able to look at what most would consider a failure, as a means to get to their final destination. Just because they go off-track temporarily does not mean they are not even closer to their target. It is simply targeting, realigning, and targeting again until whatever they are after is achieved.

It is often said that children can be cruel, but it is adults that are cruel. Adults would never look at a young child attempting something and label that child a failure. They would say "Aww, Sally that's okay, that was a good try, you'll get it next time!" They might even remark to another adult that it's so wonderful to see how far Sally has come over the past few weeks. As adults we forget that life is a constant growth process. We are always capable of learning no matter how old we are, and we should continue to take risks. We should never be fearful of failure because failure is just another form of constructive criticism. Why is it constructive criticism? Because criticism that fosters lessons and growth that are expressed in a non-threatening manner is constructive. It is the only form of criticism that is in alignment with the universe, and positive self-talk is the best way to approach our endeavors.

If fear of failure is keeping you from attempting something you long to do, ask yourself why you are letting it worry you. Is not taking a chance by doing something, much more courageous than doing nothing at all? If everyone thought of failure as a major obstacle, we would not have the technological advancements that we currently so accustomed to. How many times did Sir Isaac Newton have to be bonked on the head before he made sense of the Law of Gravity? What about Benjamin Franklin and his kite, or scientists and their cures and vaccines? The point is we would still be in the Dark Ages, if various inventors, scientists and others had refused to step out of their comfort zones and dare to take a chance at failure. Isn't it time you made your mark?

Failure is just one step in the right direction to the ultimate goal of growth and success. Don't be afraid to try new things, stretch beyond your comfortable limits and stray off-course. The worse that can happen is that you'll fail, learn from that instance and have to try something new. So, dust off those rollerblades, go take that snowboarding lesson, or go sign up for that class, life is too short to play it safe all the time. Go fail, er I mean learn!