Let’s Be Honest, No One Likes to Fail

I give keynotes on innovation, taking more shots, and embracing failure. Yet, let's be honest, no one really wants to embrace failure. This weekend, I was reminded why we need to.

You see, I picked up tennis later in life. I assumed it would come easily to me. It absolutely did not.

There were matches where I walked off the court ready to quit, sell my gear, and be done. (What the heck? I'm an athlete and marathoner, this should be easier!)

But slowly, year by year, I got a little better.

Along this journey, I started going to a tennis camp at the Broadmoor in Colorado Springs. And every year, I’ve had the same pro, Christopher.

He’s seen it all - including my frustration, my stumbles, and my progress.

This year, Christopher pulled me aside and told me he could really see how much I’ve improved.

And while that felt amazing it wasn’t the best part.

At one point over this past weekend, I completely lost my backhand - my best shot. I hit ball after ball into the net.

Christopher walked over to me and gave me some advice:

“When you feel yourself slipping into an old pattern, pause. Think about the adjustment you need to make instead of repeating the same mistake and hoping it magically changes.”

Just pause. Reflect. Adjust. It changed everything.

If you've read this far in my long post, here’s the real lesson I walked away with:

If I hadn’t started missing that shot, I never would have learned this tip.

The failure created the breakthrough.

We hear “embrace failure” all the time. But let’s be honest, when we’re in it, failure feels awful. We get frustrated. We want to quit. We repeat the same mistakes faster and louder.

But growth doesn’t come from the win.
It comes from the miss.
The pause.
The reflection.
The adjustment.

If we can appreciate those moments - even just a little -that’s where real change happens.