The cliché says,"Failure is not an option". In some very rare occasions this is probably a good mindset to have. Most of the time, however, failure is the best option. We should try to fail, and fail as big as we can.

I'm not saying that failure is all you should ever do, but it is a great tool to success. Watching my two sons grow up is a treat to watch. They are experts at failing, and learning from it - as all children are. When a child is learning to walk, they fall down a lot. What if the first time a child tried to stand up and subsequently fell down they decided to never try again? Or worse yet, what if they never even tried to stand up in the first place because they don't know how? Nobody would walk. We can learn a lot from children. ...

Sometimes we need to try stuff and fail at it to get a good look at a problem. Take for example someone starting parkour. They might try a vault and come crashing down in any number of ways. Many people might decide right then and there not to try again. Some people, might think to themselves "What went wrong?" and "What do I need to do to make that vault?". Still other might just keep on trying to get a some more looks at the problem.

The people who give up might do so because they are nothing like the people they see in parkour videos. They might watch video after video of people who make it look easy. The truth is those traceurs and traceuses bite it once in a while too. In fact one of parkour's founders, David Belle, is in a great video that showcases this point.

Watch the great David Belle fall on a simple( for him ) vault.

Everyone who has ever succeeded, has failed at the same task. Nothing comes so natural to people that they don't have to learn. Everyone starts out as a blob with flailing appendages and very little control. But we also don't think failure is a bad thing until we get a little older. Sure, it is sad to fail or watch someone fail, but it is inspiring to be or to watch someone turn failure around and into success. Be inspiring, fail.