Success through failure

Do you view failure as necessary on your musical journey? Or do you shy away from putting yourself out there because fear is holding you back?

I personally take a lot of strength from this quote. I find it amazing that quite possibly the greatest basketball player of all time can openly say how many times he has fallen short, yet has succeeded nevertheless.

I think it takes a lot of humility and strength to admit failure, either professionally, personally, or otherwise. But what sticks in my mind about this quote is that it was not the failure that defined Michael Jordan. His will, strength, tenacity, and ability to overcome defeat made him strive to improve, redouble his efforts, and come back a stronger person and player each time.

This is a fantastic example of “Growth Mindset” at work, a psychological trait brought to prominence by American psychologist Carol Dweck, Ph. D. A Growth Mindset is a belief that almost anything, including your intelligence, can be improved upon and grown. Success is based on hard work, a determination to succeed, and a continual learning and refinement of skills through quality teaching and reflection.

The opposite of this is known as a “Fixed Mindset”. This is where success is based on someone’s innate ability, natural “talent”, or set level of intelligence, which cannot be changed. This means that every time someone displays a skill, they are revealing what their fixed ability on that particular task is. If they fail at something, thus displaying their supposed lack of talent, they generally shy away or exert less effort to such tasks in the future.

By adopting a Growth Mindset to performance you can view your own mistakes and “failures” as an opportunity to learn, grow, and develop greater resilience and determination in the process. Everyone makes mistakes, and no one really knows what their true potential is, so be bold in the pursuit of excellence, and treat your errors as the path to greater learning, strengthening, and success!

How do you overcome your “failures” or disappointing performances? Comment below to share your experiences or offer some advice of your own!