Accepting failure by rejecting it
If you want to do ambitious things, you have to accept failing, and probably failing and being wrong a lot.
But at the same time, the desire to not fail is what drives so many ambitions and successful projects early on.
Paradox. True.
But you must do both.
I accept failure—fully in my mind. I run the tape to the end. I love doing this mental exercise of what failure could look like i.e. if the start-up failed, my chosen path failed or some other catastrophe happened - what would my life look like ?
Will my ten favorite people still love me?
Will I still run, think, make music, build?
Will the sun still come up?
Yes.
Yes.
Yes.
Once failure loses its grip on me, something strange happens.
You stop playing defense. You start playing to win, not to NOT LOSE. Not losing is mediocrity, dimming your light to avoid embarrassment is failure.
Mediocrity is failure. Not trying is failure.
Once you give yourself the freedom to fail, you give yourself the freedom to win.
