Fear of failure is one of the most restricting phobias we can have.

I once had a boss who would often say, “Failure is not an option.”

He was wrong.

Failure is a very real option and an underestimated one.

Being afraid of failure limits our capacity to take risks, try new things and learn from our mistakes.

As I considered this, I came across a few quotes that make this point better than I can, so here are a few brilliant quotes about failure:

“Failure isn’t the opposite of success, it’s part of success.” Arienne Huffington

“Success means going from failure to failure without loss of enthusiasm.” Winston Churchill

“Fail more.” James Dyson, the inventor of the Dyson vacuum cleaner.  It took him 5126 prototypes to complete his invention, leading Dyson to go on and say, “There are countless times an inventor can give up on an idea. By the time I made my 15th prototype, my third child was born. By 2,627, my wife and I were really counting our pennies. By 3,727, my wife was giving art lessons for some extra cash. These were tough times, but each failure brought me closer to solving the problem. It wasn’t the final prototype that made the struggle worth it. The process bore the fruit. I just kept at it.”

“A life spent making mistakes is not only more honorable, but more useful than a life spent doing nothing.” George Bernard Shaw

“Would you like me to give you a formula for success? It’s quite simple, really. Double your rate of failure.” Thomas Watson

“Failure doesn’t mean that you’re a failure, it just means that you haven’t succeeded yet.” Robert Schuller

“Failure is nature’s plan to prepare you for great responsibilities.” Napoleon Hill

“I’ve missed more than 9000 shots in my career. I’ve lost almost 300 games. 26 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.”  Michael Jordan

And one final quote that I hope helps…

“Failure should be our teacher, not our undertaker.  Failure is a delay, not a defeat.  It is a temporary detour, not a dead end. Failure is something we can only avoid by saying nothing, doing nothing and being nothing.” Denis Waitley

Let me encourage you today to take more risks, to not be afraid of failure but to be drawn forward by a compelling set of goals that get your heart racing and your spirit soaring.

Failure is an option.  And it’s an inevitability for anyone who’s doing anything worthwhile.

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