Success is not final, failure is not fatal…

Failure can be incredibly challenging, often difficult to accept and hard to stomach. We are conditioned to believe that failure is something we should always avoid, as if it somehow makes us less worthy as individuals. Many of us tie our self-worth to our successes or failures, continuing the cycle of an outdated pattern rooted in a fixed mindset. This mindset promotes linear thinking and does not reflect our true nature as creative, dynamic beings.

Failure is an essential part of our journey toward success. It is what prompts us to learn and to grow, becoming one of the most important aspects of our human experience. Every time we fail, we have a valuable opportunity to learn something new. These moments broaden our understanding and create depth within us as individuals. Failure is also a sign that we are truly putting ourselves out there, leaning into challenges, and embracing pressure.  Pressure reveals more about who we are than our achievements ever could. Each time we fail or fall down—and every time we rise—we become a new, greater, and better version of ourselves. Our success as individuals is not defined by how easy our journey has been but instead measured by how many times we fall and choose to get back up.

The resilience we build through failure, learning, and struggle develops deep understanding and empathy for ourselves and others. Our journey, with all its missed steps and struggles, shapes who we are today. Every experience, every decision, every choice we make—no matter how difficult—guides our growth.

Personally, I would not be where I am today without all the decisions I’ve made, thoughts I’ve had, and actions I’ve taken. Choosing to quit my job, diving into horsemanship, pursuing mentorship and apprenticeship in that world, and immersing myself in relational horsemanship and its principles—all of these experiences, along with the failures and hard days, have built a deep resilience within me.

I encourage you to reconsider how you look at failure. Embrace it as an essential part of growth and learning. Success is fleeting—the visible tip of the iceberg. What truly matters lies beneath the surface: the foundation built through struggle, effort, and persistence. Growth comes from understanding both our strengths and weaknesses, building upon the former and fortifying the latter. That is what allows us to demonstrate true success.

Often what we see the most are the outcomes and highlights of success. This can overshadow the countless hours of hard work, struggle, and learning that happen behind the scenes. True success comes after much effort, and it is within that process—the work, the failures, and the growth—that we learn the most.

“Success is not final, failure is not fatal: it is the courage to continue that counts.” - Winston Churchill

-B