Failure. It’s everyone’s biggest fear. If you’re like me, you’ll probably look at the mistakes you made and dwell on it to the point where you’ll lose sleep over it, no matter how small it may be. Maybe you failed an exam you could have done better on. Maybe you got fired from your job. Maybe you said something to someone you regret. Maybe you’re an athlete who missed the winning score of the game when everyone was depending on you. Whatever the reason may be, don’t let failure stop you from following your dreams. I know, easier said than done. What people don’t know is that failure actually shapes us into who we are.

Failure teaches us how to self reflect. When you fail, you first have to look back at your mistakes and see what went wrong. Now, I want you to think about the time you learned how to ride a bike. I’m sure the first time you sat your little butt on the seat, you weren’t riding onto the Olympic cycling course. You probably lost your balance and fell a couple times. When you fall off your bike for the first time, you had to figure out what you did wrong.

Did you sit on the bike the right way? Were you holding the handles tight enough? Were you peddling the right way? Did you not press your break?

After looking back on what you did wrong, you ask yourself what you can improve. You keep getting up and fixing your mistakes one by one. Failure teaches us to get ourselves back up and keep on trying. You get back on the bike even after multiple failed attempts and suddenly you’re riding from one side of the sidewalk to the other. Take failing as a starting point. You had to fail before you could figure it out. It’s a sign that you tried. Even though you may have been scared to ride the bike with the fear of falling off or crashing, you were brave enough to get on and that's what matters.

So, with that being said; allow yourself to fail, but don’t let it define you. Rather, learn from the mistakes you made. Life is all about trial and error. When you look back, you'll realize that success comes from failure. Remember, you can't have sunshine without a little rain.