Failure Breeds Success

There are 3 main points that depict the beneficial nature of failure, and this article will highlight those points:

Point #1 Failure is Needed For Improvement

"Success consists of going from failure to failure without loss of enthusiasm."

-Winston Churchill

Consider athleticism, when an athlete makes a personal goal. Does a Olympic weightlifter set a goal to bench 500 lbs only to become discouraged after failing to make the initial goal of 400?

No he doesn't, and not only that but he actually pushes himself to failure on a regular basis (strategically allowing his muscles to rest properly of course).

Why would he push himself to failure?

Because he knows that if he forces his muscles to fail, they will learn to adapt to the task, and if he does it properly, his muscles will continue to grow to support the weight that they failed in earlier. This concept doesn't just apply to muscle regeneration, but to every area in your life. Make it a point to push yourself to failure, and make sure you allow yourself time to "heal". Your mind, instincts, and overall ability will adapt to whatever task you force yourself to complete.

Point #2 Failure is the Best Teacher

"Failure is simply the opportunity to begin again, this time more intelligently."

-Henry Ford
"It's fine to celebrate success but it is more important to heed the lessons of failure."

-Bill Gates

The only time failing is a bad thing is when you allow it to be. If you see failure as defeat, you will eventually become defeated, it's inevitable. But when you see failure for what it truly is, it will become your greatest asset.

Ford and every other successful individual in history (that I know of) learned that failing was not defeat, but an education, a training. When a musician learns to play an instrument, their practice in nothing more than long, grueling, and sometimes frustrating failure sessions. Nobody puts a violin to their chin for the first time and plays well! They practice, and practice, and practice more until their success outweighs their failure.

NOTE: Not all failure is equal. Try to fail only at the things you want most to succeed in.

Point #3 Failure Breeds Discontent

"My great concern is not whether you have failed, but whether you are content with your failure."

-Abraham Lincoln
Discontent is what drives every individual to success. If you are perfectly content, you will never struggle for more - why push yourself out of your comfort zone, why suffer for nothing? Why did Lincoln stumble through a failed military career, then fail for many more years in politics? Because he was not content with his achievement - he wanted more, and he made more through persistence through failure.

Discontent is a healthy motivator when properly managed, and is in fact, one of the strongest motivators. It can also be dangerous and corrosive to motivation, so only allow so much discontent into your mind if you're able. Manage it like Lincoln and you'll continue down the road of success until you reach your destination.

Embrace failure as your trainer, teacher, and motivator; with the right mindset, failing only breeds success!

The line between failure and success is so fine that we scarcely know when we pass it: so fine that we are often on the line and do not know it.

-Elbert Hubbard