Fail your way to success

by Helena Chan
View the authors Profile

Failure. Just the word can make our stomachs knot. We grow up taught to avoid it, to treat it as proof that we’ve fallen short. But what if failure isn’t the enemy? What if it’s simply data—feedback that helps us grow, refine, and keep moving?

Think about learning to do anything new—whether it’s baking bread, trying a new sport, or presenting to a room full of people. The first attempt rarely goes smoothly. Maybe the dough doesn’t rise, the ball misses the mark, or the words come out jumbled. But none of that is final. Each so-called mistake is just a data point: information about what worked, what didn’t, and what to adjust for next time. Without those imperfect first steps, there’s no progress at all.

The real danger isn’t failing—it’s not deciding. Indecision carries a hidden cost. The hours, weeks, or even months spent circling a choice, waiting for perfect certainty, are time you never get back. That hesitation is its own form of failure—only quieter, harder to spot, and often more expensive.

Taking action, even imperfect action, moves you forward. It gives you something concrete to work with, something you can refine. Waiting gives you nothing but the weight of wondering.

So perhaps the next time you find yourself hesitating, you could ask: What data point am I missing by not acting? What might I learn if I gave myself permission to try, and even to fail?

Because success isn’t built on avoiding failure—it’s built on gathering the lessons that failure leaves behind, and using them to light the path ahead.

If these reflections strike a chord and you’d like support in turning hesitation into action, or failure into fuel, that’s the work I love doing with clients. Coaching can give you the structure and space to experiment, learn, and move forward with clarity. If you’d like to explore what that could look like, I’d love to hear from you: helena@helenaychan.com
.