We all think of failing as something bad. Failing tests, failing to do what we say we are going to do, failing to achieve the high expectations of ourselves and others, even failing God. Once we “fail” then we feel bad, ashamed, unworthy, and unlovable.

This “failing is bad” belief probably came from our parents early on without us recognizing what was happening. Maybe we failed at walking or potty training, maybe we failed at reading or writing, or maybe we failed in riding a bike. No matter the event, we told ourselves that “we weren’t good enough” and IT was our fault!

Failing isn’t our fault. Failing is just a natural part of life. Failing is a good thing. Failing gives us the power and inspiration to move forward and/or to move in a different direction. Failing is God’s way of assisting us in taking a moment and reassessing our path.

When I play piano in public, sometimes my fingers hit the wrong keys or I forget which chord to play next. In the moment, I feel temporarily frustrated; however, as I continue to play, I discover my blunders are in fact beautiful and no one knows the difference. In this way, I accidentally/on purpose “Fail Forward”.

Wouldn’t life be easier if we all failed forward instead of backward?

Wouldn’t it be nice if we could see our failures as creative and beautiful?

Wouldn’t it be great that when we “messed up” we kept on going?

Wouldn’t life be easier if we didn’t care what others thought?

The trick is to change our focus. The trick is to change that negative perception into a positive one. By switching our thoughts from I’m a failure to I’m creative; I’m stupid to I’m learning; I’m bad to I’m okay; I’m worthless to I’m amazing; and I can’t do it to I can do anything. By doing this with consistency, love, and discipline, we can slowly and surely train our minds to see failure as a good thing.

I challenge you to try to see failing as a way of moving forward, not backward. By changing your focus, you will change the way you see and you will change the way you live.