Michael Jordan, one of the greatest basketball players of all time, famously said,
"I've missed more than 9,000 shots in my career. I've lost almost 300 games. Twenty-six times I've been trusted to take the game-winning shot and missed. I've failed over and over and over again in my life. And that is why I succeed."
Jordan's quote highlights a crucial truth: failure is not the end, but a stepping stone to success. His career is a testament to the idea that each failure is a lesson that brings us closer to our goals. Michael Jordan won 6 NBA titles over 15 seasons and is currently ranked 5th in the all-time scoring list.
Understanding Our Response to Failure
Our response to failure is influenced by many factors, including our upbringing, education, culture and social pressures. For instance, some cultures might place a high value on success and perfection, making failure seem unacceptable. For more information on why progress, not perfection, is the goal, see our previous article.
Different personality types also play a role. Some people are naturally more risk-averse or perfectionistic, which can make them fear mistakes even more.
The Psychology Behind Fear of Failure
No one likes making mistakes. In fact, the fear of failure is deeply rooted in our psychology. We often fear that mistakes will lead to embarrassment, rejection, or a loss of respect. This fear can be paralysing.
However, embracing mistakes is crucial for growth. As Robert T. Kiyosaki, author of ‘Rich Dad, Poor Dad’, puts it,
"In school, we learn that mistakes are bad, and we are punished for making them. Yet, if you look at the way humans are designed to learn, we learn by making mistakes. We learn to walk by falling down. If we never fell down, we would never walk."
This perspective encourages us to see mistakes not as failures, but as necessary steps in the learning process.
The Brain Benefits from Mistakes
Did you know that making mistakes actually helps your brain grow? When we make mistakes, our brains form new connections and pathways, helping us learn and remember better.
Neuroscience research shows that our brains are particularly active when we make mistakes, as they work to process what went wrong and how to correct it. This process enhances our problem-solving skills and cognitive flexibility.
Benefits of Making Mistakes
It's how we learn: Mistakes are essential for learning. They highlight areas where we need improvement and push us to find better solutions.
Unexpected positive consequences: Sometimes, mistakes lead to surprising and positive outcomes. For example, many scientific discoveries, like penicillin and X-rays, were the result of accidental mistakes.
They teach us who we are: How we handle mistakes reveals our true character and resilience. It shows whether we give up or persevere in the face of adversity.
They help us deal with disappointment: Learning to cope with failure makes us stronger and more adaptable. It teaches us to handle setbacks with grace and to keep pushing forward.
Clarifying our priorities: Mistakes help us understand what truly matters to us. They force us to re-evaluate our goals and strategies. We can reassess our true goals.
We take ourselves less seriously: Laughing at our mistakes can make them less daunting and more manageable. It lightens the mood and makes the learning process more enjoyable.
Power of failure: What we can Learn from Famous Failures
In our daily lives, things don't always go to plan. Despite our best intentions and preparation, the outcome might not be what we want or expect. Some of the world's most important inventions and famous people failed many times before finding success.
Many familiar products are the result of happy accidents:
Cornflakes: John Kellogg was working with his brother Will on a new kind of wheat meal for patients at the sanitarium when the process that resulted in Corn Flakes was accidentally discovered. Rolling out wheat dough that had been forgotten overnight, the brothers discovered that instead of loaves of bread, they got thin flakes.
Penicillin: The discovery of penicillin was a major medical breakthrough. Penicillin was the first effective antibiotic - a drug that could be used to kill bacteria. While working at St Mary's Hospital in London in 1928, Scottish physician Alexander Fleming discovered the antibiotic properties of penicillin almost by accident. Returning from holiday, he removed the tops from some old Petri dishes and noticed that the bacteria he had grown were being killed by a mould - penicillin.
Many famous people failed multiple times before they became successful:
KFC: Colonel Sanders faced 1,009 rejections before a restaurant agreed to try his fried chicken recipe. His persistence turned a simple recipe into a global franchise. And all at the age of 62, proving that it's never too late!
JK Rowling: The author of the Harry Potter series faced numerous rejections from publishers before her books became a global phenomenon. In 2008, she gave a powerful speech at Harvard University in which she shared her thoughts on failure:
“It is impossible to live without failing at something, unless you live so cautiously that you might as well not have lived at all – in which case, you fail by default.”
These stories remind us that what we might see as failure can lead to incredible success if we are persistent and willing to learn from our setbacks.
The Role of Mistakes in Language Learning
When learning a language, mistakes are inevitable. You might choose the wrong word, mispronounce something, or get the grammar wrong. These errors are a natural part of the learning process. They show that you are experimenting with the language and trying to improve. In fact, if you're not making mistakes, you might not be challenging yourself enough!
“People make mistakes. That’s why they put rubbers on the end of pencils.” – Fleabag, British TV series
Types of Mistakes in Language Learning
Mistakes when learning a language generally fall into two groups:
Slips and Errors: These are common and show that you are still consolidating the language. They are usually due to a lack of knowledge or practice.
Mistakes: These happen even if you know the language well but are tired, nervous or have developed a habit of making the same mistakes. They might include omitting the third person 's' or mixing up word order.
Environment and mindset
For teachers and learners alike, creating an environment where mistakes are welcomed is crucial. This means encouraging students to take risks, celebrating their efforts, and using mistakes as teaching moments.
A supportive environment makes learners feel comfortable and confident in their abilities. This has much wider significance than just in the classroom.
If you are a parent, how do you approach mistakes with your children? When children know that it's okay to make mistakes, they feel more secure and supported, which encourages them to try new things and develops resilience.
In the workplace, creating a culture where mistakes are seen as learning opportunities promotes collaboration, innovation, and continuous improvement, making everyone more effective and engaged.
Practising Failure: Intentional Mistakes
An interesting approach to language learning is to practise failure by making intentional mistakes. This technique helps learners become more comfortable with errors and less afraid of making them. By deliberately making mistakes, learners can better understand common pitfalls and how to avoid them.
Accept that mistakes will happen and embrace them. Remember, mistakes are evidence of learning.
Reframing Failure: Adopting a Growth Mindset
Cultivating a growth mindset means seeing mistakes as opportunities to learn rather than as failures. A growth mindset encourages you to set ambitious goals, take calculated risks, and use feedback to improve.
John C. Maxwell said, "Fail early, fail often, but always fail forward."
This means that each mistake brings you one step closer towards your goal.
All good teachers love mistakes. If my students aren’t making mistakes then they are not learning.
Steps to Cultivate a Growth Mindset
Set Ambitious Goals: Aim high and challenge yourself.
Take Calculated Risks: Don't be afraid to try new things.
Embrace Feedback: Use feedback to learn and improve.
Reflect on Mistakes: Analyse what went wrong and how to fix it.
See Mistakes as Stepping Stones: Understand that each mistake is a step towards success.
Be Realistic: Not every mistake is a disaster. Keep things in perspective.
Celebrate Your Mistakes
Mistakes are powerful teachers. They help us learn, grow, and ultimately succeed. Whether it's learning a new language or pursuing a dream, don't be afraid to make mistakes.
Celebrate them, learn from them, and keep moving forward.
Remember, the only bad mistakes are the ones we don't learn from. So, embrace your mistakes and see them for what they truly are: fantastic learning opportunities.
“Anyone who has never made a mistake has never tried anything new.” - Albert Einstein
Final Thought
The next time you make a mistake, take a moment to reflect on what it taught you. Embrace it as a valuable lesson on your journey to success. After all, if Michael Jordan can miss thousands of shots and still be a champion, you too can achieve success in whatever you wish to accomplish.
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Your Author: Zoe Ford
Zoe is a CELTA-qualified EFL teacher and Ex-Director of Studies at a prestigious private language school in London. She has been teaching English to adults for over 10 years and has helped hundreds of students to reach their learning goals.
When Zoe isn't teaching you can find her at the cricket researching new blog ideas, she also loves to cook, to travel, and to share her passion for learning with others.
