How to Fail: A skill I teach my football players and students.

Learning how to fall (failing) is one of the unsung skills you must master to build a rewarding life.

When I was young, I didn't think much about getting 'good' at falling down, but I certainly felt the pain of those falls before I learned how to handle them. As a dirt bike rider and football player, I fell over and over again. In the beginning, the falls aren't that traumatic; at a basic level, hitting the ground doesn't require much skill. But as you reach higher levels in any activity, the falls become more intense, requiring the ability to fall gracefully.

Broken collarbones and fractured wrists made it easy for me to see how the mechanics of a fall truly work. Life and business difficulties aren't much different. You will fail, and as you grow, those failures can become significant setbacks if you don't know how to land.

Just as you learn to 'roll with the punches' in physical sports, you must learn how to recover, learn, and rise to the occasion repeatedly in life. Getting good at failing provides the foundation you need to take on bigger projects and move to the next level.