Failing Versus Never Trying

I’m blogging my way through Marc and Angel’s 50 Questions That Will Free Your Mind. Today’s question is:

Which is worse, failing or never trying?

Two Cops, Two BikesThomas Hawk / Foter.com / CC BY-NC

I’m a firm believer that you don’t really fail if you try and instead, that the only way to truly fail is to never try at all.

If I didn’t have that mentality and didn’t so strongly believe that, I honestly think I’d feel like a complete and utter failure. My life is comprised of so many heart-wrenching attempts at things that never really worked out in the way I thought they would. It’s all lead me here, to a place that I feel better than I have ever felt before, but that’s because I’ve viewed those moments as stepping stones – not failures.

So for me, the answer is easy: the worst thing you can do is not try. Because even if you try, and even if you still walk away with an outcome you were hoping to avoid, you know you gave it your all. There’s really not much else to do then other than move on, knowing you did your best.

So, do you think failing or never trying is worse?