FAILING vs LEARNING

edison-bulb

A few years ago I was part of a small startup that was going to completely revolutionize the music lessons industry. We had a sweet logo, website, and even a small radio spot.

Launch day came and went. No one registered. Zero. Not a single email inquiry.

Total failure, right? That’s what I considered it then. I entertained a range of emotions: shame, anger, even bitterness.

Since then I’ve come to embrace the posture of a learner. In fact, learning is what I think this life is basically all about. Never mind that failure nonsense. Failure condemns and shames; learning invites and elicits. Failure jeers and subverts; learning celebrates and empowers.

Not long ago I launched a small-scale experiment completely unrelated to that previous startup. Fear of failure told me I shouldn’t do it, but a love for learning gave me the courage to move forward.

Similar to my first example, I didn’t achieve my ideal results. But unlike my response in that episode, I leaned into the learning this time and focused on what I can do differently next time. (And there WILL be a next time. Why not?? After all, I’d be writing this in the dark if Mr. Edison had quit).

What about you? What ideas or endeavors are sitting idle on your launchpad? What might shift if you altered the question from what if I fail to what might I learn?