The Opportunity To Fail

I have enjoyed reading some of the recent press around a large VC investment in the residential rental real estate company launched by one of the WeWork co-founders. But one quote in particular from some of that press (shown below) really resonated with me, for very different reasons.

The opportunity to fail, and to try again, is critical to human development and success - whether in parenting, coaching or taking a chance on a new business venture, we're all familiar with some variation on the saying that, "if at first you don't succeed, try, try, again". We even see it in the law, with concepts like notice and cure rights, and the ability to reorganize through a bankruptcy. Of course, there are circumstances in which there is truly no opportunity to fail (scary!), but as a general matter, the possibility of a second chance can be an important psychological safety net when pushing yourself on your first attempt, and actually getting another chance can be an