Resilience is the psychological quality that allows some people to be knocked down by the adversities of life and come back at least as strong as before. Rather than letting difficulties, traumatic events, or failure overcome them and drain their resolve, highly resilient people find a way to change course, emotionally heal, and continue moving toward their goals .
Why Failure Can Help Us
To fail is deeply human; everyone, no matter their background, skillset, or life story, will fail spectacularly at least once in their life. Its commonplace nature, however, doesn’t mean that experiencing a major loss or setback is easy or fun—or that it’s widely accepted in a winner-takes-all culture that prioritizes success at all costs.
But learning to be okay with making mistakes, big or small, is a critical skill—one tied not only to resilience but also, perhaps, to future success. One recent study, for example, found that young scientists who experienced a significant setback early in their career actually went on to greater success than scientists who had seen early wins.
You don’t have to pretend that it’s pleasant to fail or ignore the frustration that arises when a goal falls out of reach. Instead, accepting the emotions that came with the setback, being curious about why things went wrong and how you can improve in the future, and practicing self-compassion can help.
Becoming okay with making mistakes helps build better emotional regulation , which can benefit someone in a wide variety of domains from relationships to the workplace. Further, analyzing and accepting a setback can provide lessons that will stop the failure from repeating itself in the future.
Explore More About Resilience
For a comprehensive understanding of resilience, read our complete guide: