What “Fail Better” Actually Means
A simple explanation
To fail better means each attempt produces better information, smaller mistakes, and stronger next steps. The goal isn’t to rack up failures; it’s to make failure more instructive and less expensive.
A deeper explanation
Failing better is a system with three components:
-
Iteration: You try repeatedly, not randomly.
-
Learning: You extract clear lessons (what changed, what didn’t).
-
Adaptation: You adjust your approach—tools, assumptions, constraints—based on what you learned.
If your “next try” is basically identical to the last, you’re not failing better—you’re just repeating.
People get stuck because they treat failure as a verdict: I failed therefore I’m not good at this. High performers treat failure as a measurement: This approach failed; now we know what doesn’t work under these conditions.
That shift matters because identity-based failure creates shame, and shame collapses curiosity. Curiosity is what keeps you experimenting long enough to find a better path.
Real-Life Examples: Scientists, Inventors, and Leaders Who Failed Better
Below are examples where failure wasn’t a single dramatic moment—it was a sequence of attempts where the person learned, refined, and persisted.
1) Thomas Edison and the Long Path to a Practical Light Bulb
Edison is often cited (sometimes simplistically) for the idea that he “found many ways that didn’t work.” While the exact quote is debated, the underlying reality is accurate: developing a long-lasting incandescent bulb required systematic experimentation with filament materials, vacuum quality, and electrical design.
What “fail better” looked like here:
-
Failures weren’t treated as dead ends; they became controlled tests.
-
Each attempt narrowed the field of viable materials and configurations.
-
The output wasn’t just “a bulb,” but a repeatable manufacturing and power-delivery approach.
Lesson: If you can convert failures into structured experiments, you reduce emotional noise and increase learning speed.
2) Marie Curie: Years of Grinding Work and Methodical Refinement
Marie Curie’s breakthroughs in radioactivity weren’t “eureka” moments that happened in a clean lab with instant results. Extracting and isolating radioactive elements required painstaking processing, repeated measurements, and constant refinement of technique.
What “fail better” looked like:
-
Progress depended on incremental improvements in method—measurement accuracy, purification, repeated verification.
-
There was no single failure to “overcome”; the work demanded endurance through ambiguity.
-
Curie’s approach modeled scientific resilience: repeat, refine, verify.
Lesson: Some failures are not dramatic—they’re the slow frustration of uncertainty. Failing better means continuing to tighten the method until the signal emerges from the noise.
3) James Dyson: Thousands of Prototypes and Relentless Iteration
James Dyson famously built thousands of prototypes before landing on a commercially viable bagless vacuum. Whether the exact number is emphasized for storytelling or not, the key point is real: the process was iterative engineering with repeated design failures.
What “fail better” looked like:
-
Each prototype wasn’t “a try”; it was a hypothesis about airflow, suction loss, filtration, and usability.
-
The failures helped identify the specific constraints that mattered—performance, manufacturability, cost, durability.
-
He didn’t just improve the product; he improved the process of improving.
Lesson: Iteration is most powerful when each version tests one or two key variables, not everything at once.
4) Abraham Lincoln: Repeated Losses, Better Strategy, Deeper Coalition
Lincoln’s life included setbacks—business struggles, electoral defeats, and personal hardship—before his presidency. While his story is often used as “never give up,” what’s more interesting is how he matured strategically over time.
What “fail better” looked like:
-
Political losses can teach you where your message fails, where your coalition is thin, and what people actually need.
-
Lincoln’s eventual leadership involved coalition-building, communication discipline, and moral clarity under pressure.
-
The improvement wasn’t just persistence—it was better alignment between values, strategy, and timing.
Lesson: In leadership, “fail better” often means learning how to communicate, negotiate, and build alliances—not merely trying harder.
5) Space Exploration: NASA and the Culture of Post-Failure Learning
Modern aerospace engineering is built on the assumption that failures will occur—and the question becomes: do you learn at the system level? Many high-risk engineering organizations use rigorous “after-action” analysis to prevent repeat mistakes.
What “fail better” looks like in this world:
-
Failure investigation focuses on root causes, not scapegoats.
-
Organizations create feedback loops: redesigned parts, new procedures, better training, updated simulations.
-
The objective is to ensure the next mission fails less often and less catastrophically.
Lesson: The most mature form of failing better is building an environment where people can report problems early without fear—so failures become smaller and earlier, not hidden until they explode.
6) J.K. Rowling: Rejection, Revision, and Persistence (Creative Failure)
Rowling’s early career included rejections before the Harry Potter books found a publisher. Creative industries are especially brutal because rejection often feels personal.
What “fail better” looked like:
-
Rejection becomes market feedback, not a permanent judgment on your ability.
-
You keep refining craft and continuing submissions.
-
You build tolerance for “no” while staying committed to the work.
Lesson: In creative and entrepreneurial fields, failing better means building a pipeline: keep producing, keep improving, keep shipping.
The Quiet Truth: You Don’t Win by Avoiding Failure—You Win by Upgrading It
The people we admire aren’t those who never failed. They’re those who:
-
stayed in the arena long enough
-
learned with precision
-
built better systems after each mistake
“Try again, fail again, fail better” is not permission to be reckless. It’s a commitment to become the kind of person who can metabolize setbacks into skill.
A Short, Actionable Checklist (For Your Next Attempt)
Before you try again, write:
-
What am I trying to achieve (in one sentence)?
-
What’s the smallest test that could teach me something?
-
What variable am I changing from last time?
-
What does success look like?
-
What does a useful failure look like (what would I learn)?
-
When will I review results and decide the next step?
That’s failing better.
.jpeg?auto=webp)
.jpeg?auto=webp)
.jpeg?auto=webp)
/1x.jpeg?auto=webp)
/1x.jpeg?auto=webp)