Failure is not just acceptable but necessary for growth.
Yet many of us, who are currently parenting our beautiful children, have been conditioned to flee from failure, to avoid it at all costs.
We avoid failure because, in the words of Brené Brown, “Falling down, screwing up, and facing hurt often lead to bouts of second-guessing our judgment, our self-trust, and even our worthiness. I am enough? can slowly turn into Am I really enough?”
And honestly, who wants to ask, “Am I really enough?” Especially if we’re afraid that the answer will end up “No.”
But what could it look like to rewrite the answer? You become good at what you practice, so the question, “Am I really enough?” gives you the chance to practice answering “Yes.”
And so: Fail often. Fail Brilliantly. Fail forward. Keep in mind the vision of what you know you can become. And then lean into it as you fail forward into the next attempt to reach it.
Growth happens not when we avoid failure but when we learn how to move through the pain and vulnerability to the next attempt. As Brown writes, we need to learn to “rise from our falls, overcome our mistakes, and face hurt in a way that brings more wisdom and wholeheartedness into our lives.”
I want to teach my children: you are not defined by your mistakes but by your efforts to lean into them.
And I know that the best way to teach is by example: often, brilliantly, and forward.
Visit our Parent Resources page or Download our Wheel of Life tool for more helpful insights.
Cara Thorpe
Founder & Visionary
Yellow Parachute Learning Partners
www.yellowparachute.com
612-361-7266
