You must stop protecting yourself from professional failure

Typically, failure is something people avoid. It can be painful, career-limiting, and disheartening. But failure can also deliver significant advantages—and contrary to common belief, you may reach your goals (or resolutions for the new year) more effectively when you find ways to embrace failure.

Failure has plenty of benefits—from stoking learning and new relationships to developing motivation and confidence. And there are some specific ways you can lean into an experience—ways to practice failure in order to achieve success.

Failure is part of success; and if you never fail, you are likely not trying hard enough or you may be deceiving yourself.

To fail means you have reached for a new goal, and you can hone your approach for your next shot at it. To fail means you’ve had the opportunity to learn about the skills or capabilities you need to develop. And to fail means you have demonstrated commitment to something that matters to you.