We are taught from a young age that failure is bad and something to fear. But, failure is an excellent stepping stone to success. We never learn to move out of our comfort zone if we don’t overcome our fear of failure.

Fear of failure

... and failure is good even if it feels really bad when it happens. Look for the greater message of the experience and expect it to, eventually, turn out for the good.

Failure is temporary

It means you are actually active, doing something, moving forward.We limit ourselves, and we impede our ability to make big things happen when we buy into what society says will work or not work.We must take a leap, take calculated risks, and be patient for the results. We don’t need to have everything worked out beforehand.

Routine failing

Tune in to your intuition and gut and stay away from your fears. When you know it is the right decision for you, you must never, ever give up. Tune in to why it is important to stay motivated and surround yourself with like-minded people who can support and help pick you up when you fall.

How to move past the regret of failure

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Failure is not a step backward; it's an excellent stepping stone to success. We never learn to move out of our comfort zone if we don't overcome our fear of failure. The most progressive companies deliberately seek employees with track records reflecting both failure and success. That's because someone who survives failure has gained irreplaceable knowledge and the unstoppable perseverance born from overcoming hardship.
To learn more about the benefits of failing, I reached out to executive coach and speaker <a href="http://www.aspirewomen.com/about_aspire/dr_collins/">Dr. Sam Collins</a>. A leading global voice on women as leaders and entrepreneurs, she was named one of the Top 200 Women to Impact Business &amp; Industry by Her Majesty, the Queen of England. Sam just wrote a <a href="http://www.amazon.com/Radio-Heaven-Womans-Journey-Grace/dp/1628651865">book</a> about failure - her failures - and how they have had a profoundly positive impact on her life.
William Arruda: Why is failure something most people dread?
Sam Collins: We are taught from a young age that failing is bad and something to fear. I imagine everyone is scared of failing when it comes to going after their big goals and dreams; however, I also knew - though I resisted it to begin with - that I needed only to ask myself, "What's the worst that can happen if you fail?"
Arruda: Tell me about one of your biggest failures.
Collins: Well, I was fired from my dream job. How's that for a major screw-up?
My dream job did not have a dream boss. The classic "Queen Bee," she firmly disliked me and had no problem letting me know. She often used the power of her position to make my work life as miserable as possible, giving me odd projects, assigning me to do other people's work, even attempting to isolate me from other employees she suspected I liked or who she knew were my friends. Eventually she found a way to get rid of me, and I was glad at some level to get away from her. I could say she was a poor teacher, I suppose, but the truth is I learned a lot from her. I used to keep a notepad with me at all times and I wrote down every time she treated someone poorly. The list of don'ts she generated was a long one: don't be mean, don't be political, don't commit and not follow through, don't be dishonest, don't treat people like they're dumb, don't harass, and many others. I knew that someday, when I had my own business, these would become solid material for my own people policies.
Arruda: And what came from that miserable, visible failure?
Collins: In 2000, I arrived in London with no money, no network and a self-esteem crisis. I was 29 years old, and I had nothing to return to. No mother, no relationship with my father, no job, and no money. The voice in my head beat me up badly. My confidence was at an all-time low. I felt like a total failure.
I highly recommend losing at least one job in your life because it gives you awareness and an aliveness you don't get when you have the same job for life. It forces you to tune in to what you truly want in a career. For me, it turned me into the business owner I had always wanted to be, and now I could play to my strengths. I could play to what was needed from me in the world, and to what I could provide to fulfill the needs of others.
Arruda: And what did you learn?
Collins: My lesson was to embrace failure and see it as a stepping stone on the way to success. Failing is an inevitable part of creating your destiny, and it gave me the platform to start my own business and follow my biggest dreams. I had nothing to lose. Now, I welcome it. After learning to deal with disappointment, I knew persistence and dedication to my goals would eventually be rewarded.
Arruda: What can we learn from our failures?
Collins: If nothing else, I hope you realize failure is temporary, and failure is good even if, undeniably, it feels really bad when it happens. When something goes wrong, we need to learn to say, "Something good is happening here. Look for the greater message of the experience and expect it to, eventually, turn out for the good. Recognizing this gets easier with practice.
Arruda: In your book, you recommend "routine failing." Can you share more about that?
Collins: I heartily recommend routine failing. It means you are actually active, doing something, moving forward. Too often we buy into what society says, or what the past has shown us, will work or not work. When we do that, we limit ourselves, and we impede our ability to make big things happen. My company, Aspire, would not exist today if I hadn't taken daily risks, stayed on course, and refused to listen to the negative thoughts and comments from myself and others. Some people told me you can't start a business unless you have seed money, unless you have a network, unless you are a certain age, unless, unless, unless. Some well-intentioned people indeed said, "You're way too young to start your own business, especially in the coaching, consulting, and training type field. You need to be at least forty, and you need to have a pedigree and experience.
We must take a leap, take calculated risks, and be patient for the results. We don't need to have everything worked out beforehand. I never wrote a business plan, but in order to reach the next level in life, business, and my own personal growth, I had to take some risks.
Perhaps there is a leap of faith you have put off making - a risk it's time for you to take. Focusing intently upon the people you want to work with or impact, and what they need most from you, is often the best prod to get you taking some risks. It gets you out of your head and into your gut instinct pretty quickly and successfully.
Arruda: So how do we make big things happen?
Collins: We often make work, love, and life choices based on what is expected. Too many of us default to our parent's dreams for us, or their dreams for themselves, and end up in careers that do not truly play to our strengths and passions. This may lead to many years of unhappiness and an eventual career crisis. If you are not doing what you love right now - even if your dream has been lying dormant since your school days - it's time to rethink who or what has stopped you from doing it and decide today what you will do about it.
Arruda: Failure can feel so terrible in the moment; how can we move past the regret?
Collins: Resilience is the ability to keep going and bounce back quickly. There will always be aspects of your life and work where you need to keep the gas pedal going, and times when you will need to know when to put the brakes on a losing proposition. The key is to be able to tune in to your intuition and gut and stay away from your fears. When you know it is the right decsion for you, you must never, ever give up. Tune in to why it is important to stay motivated and surround yourself with like-minded people who can support and help pick you up when you fall.
Arruda: What is your biggest tip for turning mistakes into successes?
Collins: Big dreams can actually come true, but it takes guts, resilience and overcoming obstacles to make your dreams a reality. Yet it doesn't have to be an uphill battle and can be realized with ease, peace and serenity. Listen to your gut feelings, the seemingly random songs you hear that have a message for you and the coincidences, that if you listen, will lead you to your own journey to grace.
You can learn more about Sam and her failings in her new book, <a href="http://www.amazon.com/Radio-Heaven-Womans-Journey-Grace/dp/1628651865">Radio Heaven</a>. 
Follow me on and check out my latest book, <a href="http://www.ditchdaredo.com/">Ditch. Dare. Do! 3D Personal Branding for Executives </a>. 
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Failure is not a step backward; it's an excellent stepping stone to success. We never learn to move out of our comfort zone if we don't overcome our fear of failure. The most progressive companies deliberately seek employees with track records reflecting both failure and success.

Why Failure Is Essential To Success

Fear of failure

Failure is temporary

Routine failing

How to move past the regret of failure

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