The fun in failure

Remember those times when failing was fun?

You tried to do a handstand for the first time and didn’t kick high enough. Then you tried again and kicked up so hard you flew over the other way landing on your back! You failed. Then you laughed.

You were at a team building workshop. You and a partner attempted to complete a task that you’d never tried before. You failed. Then you laughed together, made a change, and tried again.

What if you could laugh in times when the stakes are higher?

You spend hours meal-prepping for the week, during a stint of eating strictly paleo, only to find out that you instinctively threw grains into the recipe. Fail. Laugh? Scream? Learn.

You show up at the gym at 5AM for the first time ever only to be greeted by a sign saying that it’s closed for a holiday. Fail. Able to see the humor?

The lower the stakes, the easier it is to laugh. Although it’s not inherent to laugh at our own failures at all. Some people can’t even laugh in seemingly inconsequential moments, let alone when life dishes up a whole heap of irony and inconvenience.

You don’t have to bellow in laughter when you screw up. However, if you can find the fun in the failure you will recover more quickly and get back to growing.

Finding the fun in failing takes practice.

The next time you take a wrong turn while driving, laugh.

The next time you tackle a difficult problem and make a mistake, laugh.

The next time you fail, laugh. And then

And then think…

How do you want your kids to show up when they fail?

How do you want your kids to see you show up when you fail?

How you respond in failures that don’t seem to matter prepares you for how you will show up when you fail and how you respond matters.