Why Failing is Awesome!

Why Failing is Awesome (Yes, Really)

Somewhere along the way, we started treating failure like a bad word. Kids grow up thinking mistakes are something to be ashamed of, something to avoid at all costs. But here’s the truth: failure is how we learn, grow, and get better.

Think about it—when a baby learns to walk, they don’t get it right the first time. They wobble, fall, get back up, and try again. No one tells them to quit. But as we get older, we start believing that messing up means we’re not good enough.

It’s time to change that.

Why Failing is Actually a Good Thing

Mistakes Teach You What Works (And What Doesn’t)
Every mistake is a lesson. The best athletes, inventors, and leaders? They’ve all failed—a lot. But instead of giving up, they figured out what went wrong, adjusted, and kept going.

Failure Builds Resilience
If you succeed at everything right away, you never learn how to push through challenges. Mistakes teach kids that they can struggle, adapt, and come out stronger on the other side. That’s a skill that will serve them for life.

Perfection is a Myth
Trying to be perfect is exhausting. It holds kids back from trying new things because they’re afraid of looking silly or getting it wrong. But the people who achieve great things? They’re the ones willing to mess up along the way.

Failure Fuels Creativity
Ever notice how mistakes often lead to better ideas? Some of the world’s greatest inventions (like the microwave and Post-it Notes) were total accidents. Mistakes force us to think differently and find solutions we never considered.

How to Help Kids Embrace Failure

✅ Celebrate mistakes. Instead of saying, "You messed up," try, "What did you learn?"
✅ Share your own failures. Kids need to see that adults mess up too—and it’s totally normal.
✅ Encourage trying over perfection. Remind them that the only way to truly fail is to not try at all.
✅ Reframe setbacks as stepping stones. Every failure is just part of the journey to success.

Final Thoughts

Failing isn’t the end—it’s the beginning of something better. The sooner kids (and adults) realize that mistakes are just part of the process, the more confident, creative, and resilient they’ll become.

So go ahead—mess up, learn, and keep going. That’s how greatness happens.