Often times, I find myself and others avoiding the path of failure. No one wants to fail. No one wants to make mistakes. No one wants to regret their actions.

However, over the last few days, my perception of failure has shifted towards a more optimistic end of the spectrum.

Last weekend, I went to play golf for the first time. The weather was beautiful and I was excited to be plunging into a new sport. My performance was below average. I had minimum expectations for my performance, considering that I never held a club prior to the event. But after witnessing every other individual swinging their clubs and hitting their desired targets effortlessly, I became discouraged and quickly began to loathe the sport.

I did not like being inept at a sport; especially at a sport requiring little to no lower body movement. I did not like being inept at anything. As humans, we like to strive towards perfection and perfection was nowhere near my sight when I hit the ball with too much force.

Only minutes later, I took a step back and caught myself heading the wrong direction.

Yes, I would have not been cut out for my school’s golf team. But I was actually having a great time. I enjoyed spending time outdoors without the aid of my phone or laptop. I was having meaningful conversations with my sister and the car ride was filled with music while recounting our failed attempts at hitting the ball into a series of holes.

I realized that failure does not define us. Failure is more than failing at a task. It’s an experience. An integral part of humanity.

Failure allows us to grow and success wouldn’t mean much without failing. We learn to walk after falling on our faces. We learn to sing after hitting the wrong notes at the wrong times. We learn to work harder when the desired results seem to be halted from time to time.

By no means am I recommending to fail. But, failure is inevitable and perfection is unattainable. And, success lies between the two. We can condone the former and aim towards the latter while finding the right balance between the two.