Why Failure is a Better Teacher than Success will ever be.

Written by: Boyd Levitt

October 28th, 2025

“Failure isn’t the opposite of success. It’s the process of it.”

Okay... Okay let's cut to it exactly — no one wakes up in the morning saying, “You know what I could use today? A good solid failure.”

We chase success like its caffeine — and when it finally kicks in, we feel unstoppable… for about 15 minutes. Then something goes wrong — a deal falls through, a plan flops, someone forgets to unmute themselves on Zoom while sighing loudly — and suddenly, we’re back to reality.

But here’s the thing: success rarely teaches you anything new.

Failure, on the other hand, gives lessons so personal, you’ll swear it has your home address.

The real issue is simple: Success is loud.

It gets celebrated, it shines and then it gets posted. EVERYWHERE.

Failure is quiet. It whispers, it humbles, and if you listen closely — it teaches.

We spend so much of our lives chasing the “win” that we forget: You don’t actually learn much from success. You repeat it. But failure? Failure forces reflection. It doesn’t let you walk away unchanged.

Why Failure Teaches What Success Hides

Success is comfortable. It confirms what we already know. Failure confronts what we’ve been avoiding.

Every time you fail, you gain data — about your decisions, your communication, your habits, your leadership, your beliefs.

Failure isn’t the end of the lesson; it’s the beginning of the real one. And unlike success, failure doesn’t flatter you. It shows you the truth. The truth about where you weren’t prepared. The truth about what you assumed. The truth about what still needs work.

When you stop viewing failure as an identity and start seeing it as information, everything shifts.

Building Self-Awareness: The Missing Skill

Most people don’t struggle because of lack of skill — they struggle because of lack of self-awareness. awareness. They repeat patterns because they never pause to recognize them.

Here are 3 daily practices that build real self-awareness — the kind that turns failure into growth:

1) The 3-Minute Mirror

At the end of the day, ask yourself three questions:

• What went well today?

• What didn’t?

• What did I contribute to both?

  
  

  (You’ll quickly notice trends in how you react, lead, or procrastinate.)

  
  

2) Name it, Don’t Numb it

When you feel frustration or fear — name it out loud.

“I’m anxious because I don’t know what comes next." I’m angry because I feel unseen. "

Research shows naming emotions activates logic and disarms reactivity. You can’t manage what you won’t admit.

3) Slow Your Response Time

Practice pausing three seconds before reacting — especially when emotions rise. This pause rewires impulsivity into intentionality. You start responding to life instead of reacting to it.

That’s how you turn awareness into control.

For Leaders: Failure as a Culture, not a Consequence

If you lead people, here’s the honest truth: You’re not managing outcomes — you’re managing belief.

High performers don’t fear challenge; they fear punishment for being human. They fear that failure means their effort was wasted instead of valued.

Great leaders flip that. They turn failure into feedback loops.

Ask Reflective, Not Reactive Questions

Instead of “Why did this happen?” ask “What can this teach us? "You shift the tone from blame to curiosity — and that’s where innovation begins.

1. Celebrate the Attempt

   1. Publicly acknowledge risks taken, even when the result wasn’t ideal. It reinforces courage, not compliance.

2. Build Psychological Safety

   1. People don’t need permission to succeed — they need permission to fail without fear. That’s how you get truth instead of performance.

The Bigger Picture

Failure is only painful when you tie it to your worth. But once you tie it to your growth, it becomes the most honest mentor you’ll ever have.

Success may keep you comfortable — but failure keeps you real. It humbles the ego, sharpens the craft, and deepens the connection between who you are and who you could be.

The goal isn’t to fail less. It’s to learn faster. Because success without reflection is luck. But failure — failure with awareness — is mastery.

Failure isn’t the villain we make it out to be. Maybe it’s that brutally honest friend who doesn’t sugarcoat and still eats the last slice of pizza — annoying, but necessary. Success might make you feel good, but failure, that will make you better. 

Because failure keeps you.

• humble

• hungry

• human

So, the next time things fall apart, don’t panic — just grab a notebook. Because class is in session, and failure, as always, showed up right on time.