What's Really Possible Blog

How to Never Fail

Written by Jill Konrath | May 27, 2026 2:00:00 PM

Impossible, right? Everyone fails at some time in their life. I bet you could make a list right now of all the failures you’ve experienced.

Looking back, you’re probably squirming as you reflect on some of your more memorable ones.

It doesn’t have to be that way. Years ago, I discovered a simple strategy that protected me from failing.

Instead of going down the rabbit hole of remorse, embarrassment, guilt and more, I discovered a different approach.

I eliminated the word “failure” from my vocabulary and replaced it with the phrase “valuable learning experience.”

When things didn’t go the way I’d hoped, I’d ask myself questions such as:

  • What did I learn?
  • How could I have created a different result?
  • Who might be able to offer some good advice or insights?
  • How does this apply to other things I’m doing?

Valuable learning experiences challenge your brain to seek answers and develop new approaches.

And, as a result, you just keep getting better and better!

Now that’s a winning strategy — and you can kiss failure goodbye.