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Why Failure Means You’re on the Right Track

Why Failure Means You’re on the Right Track

In this episode of Chris Beane gets real about failure—and why it’s the clearest sign that you’re actually on the right path. Using the powerful metaphor of the comfort zone as life’s “snooze button,” Chris challenges you to stop playing it safe and start embracing the struggles, setbacks, and stumbles that come with real growth. Failure isn’t the end. It’s feedback. It’s proof that you’re stretching, evolving, and moving forward. In this raw and motivating conversation, Chris breaks down how to reframe failure, why success is built on more losses than wins, and how to keep rising every time life knocks you down. If you’ve been playing small, avoiding risk, or letting fear of failure hold you back, this episode will give you the mindset shift you need to fail forward with courage and purpose.

Motivation Mindset
Champion Minutes Champion Minutes
Aug 15, 2025
Video preview

Why Failure Means You’re on the Right Track

 
Hey Champions—Chris Beane here.
In this episode I admitted something that might surprise you: I’m a failure.
I’ve failed at loads of things. And you know what? That’s exactly why I keep growing. Because the truth is, failure isn’t the opposite of success—it’s the pathway to it.
In today’s blog, I want to dive deep into why failure is not only natural but absolutely essential if you want to grow, change, and live a life that’s bigger than your comfort zone.

Failure Is Proof That You’re Moving Forward

When I said, “I am a failure,” I wasn’t being dramatic—I was being real. I’ve failed more times than I can count. But here’s the key:
If you’re not failing, you’re not stretching yourself.
Failure means you’re doing something new. It means you’re testing your limits, stepping into unfamiliar territory, and pushing beyond the bubble of safety.
If everything feels easy, it’s because you’re still inside your comfort zone. And the comfort zone is where growth goes to die.

The Comfort Zone Is Your Life’s Snooze Button

In the episode, I compared the comfort zone to hitting the snooze button on your alarm clock.
You’re all warm, tucked in under the blankets. The alarm goes off—you don’t want to get up. You hit snooze. Ten minutes later, snooze again. It feels safe, it feels comfortable.
But here’s the problem: if you keep hitting snooze, nothing changes. You stay exactly where you are.
That’s what the comfort zone does—it tricks you into thinking safety is success. But in reality, it’s just keeping you still.

Failure as the Natural Price of Growth

Nobody likes failing. Let’s be honest—it stings. It can knock you down, make you question yourself, and leave you wondering if you’re even cut out for this journey.
But here’s the truth I emphasized:
Failing is not easy, but it’s necessary.
You don’t get stronger without resistance. You don’t get wiser without mistakes. You don’t grow without falling down and standing back up.
The only way to avoid failure completely is to avoid trying at all—and that’s the biggest failure of all.

Reframing Failure: Lessons vs. Losses

One of the best shifts you can make is to stop seeing failure as a loss and start seeing it as a lesson.
Ask yourself:
  • What did I do that I can do differently next time?
  • Why did this fail?
  • What new information did I just gain that I couldn’t have known otherwise?
Failure is feedback. It’s the world handing you information about how to improve.
And every time you apply that feedback, you’re getting closer to success.

The Truth About Ratios: Fail More Than You Succeed

This might sound discouraging at first, but I promise it’s empowering:
You will fail more often than you succeed.
Think about it—most of your attempts won’t work perfectly. Most experiments will need tweaking. Most big dreams take multiple tries before they click.
But here’s the beauty: you only need a handful of wins to transform your life. And those wins only come after you’ve walked through a field of failures.

Dust Yourself Off and Try Again

In the episode, I said:
“As long as you get up more times than you fall down, you’ll be okay.”
That’s the essence of resilience. Failure might knock you flat, but if you rise one more time than you fall, you’re still moving forward.
It doesn’t matter how long it takes. What matters is that you refuse to stay down.

The Challenge of Doing Hard Things

Here’s something I want you to really sit with:
If something feels easy to do, it’s probably not worth doing.
Why? Because the easy path rarely leads to meaningful change. The easy path keeps you comfortable, keeps you predictable, keeps you stuck.
The hard things—the things that scare you, stretch you, and yes, make you fail—those are the things that change you.

Three Practical Steps to Embrace Failure as Growth

Failure doesn’t have to feel like the end. It can become fuel for progress. Here are three ways to put this into practice:
  1. Normalize Failure
Stop treating failure as a personal flaw. Start treating it as a natural part of the process. Say to yourself: This isn’t the end—it’s the tuition I’m paying for growth.
  1. Extract the Lesson Quickly
Don’t wallow. Instead, analyze. Write down what happened, what went wrong, and what you’ll try differently next time. That turns failure into forward momentum.
  1. Celebrate the Effort, Not Just the Outcome
Even if you didn’t win this time, you had the courage to try. That alone sets you apart from the millions of people still hitting snooze on their lives.

Why This Matters for Leaders and Entrepreneurs

This isn’t just motivational talk—it’s essential for leadership.
As a leader, your team will fail. Your business will face setbacks. Your plans will crumble. If you panic every time something doesn’t work, you’ll never build resilience in yourself or your people.
But if you normalize failure, if you model getting back up, your team learns to do the same. And that’s when your organization becomes unstoppable.

Closing Thoughts: Fail Forward, Always

So, Champions, here’s the bottom line:
  • Failure isn’t proof that you’re broken—it’s proof that you’re growing.
  • The comfort zone may feel safe, but it will keep you stuck.
  • Success is built on the bricks of failure, one attempt at a time.
If you’re failing right now, don’t lose heart. It means you’re on the right track. It means you’re stretching, learning, and becoming someone stronger than you were yesterday.
So don’t hit snooze. Don’t stay under the covers. Get up. Step into the challenge. And embrace whatever failures come your way—because they’re carrying you forward.
Onward,
Chris Beane
Champion Minutes
Champion Minutes
Welcome to the Champion Minutes Podcast, where we embark on a daily journey of personal growth and empowerment with your host, Chris Beane. Each episode delivers bite-sized insights, actionable strategies, and inspiring stories to help you unlock your full potential and become the champion of your own life. Join Chris as he shares practical tips, mindset shifts, and expert advice to cultivate resilience, achieve your goals, and live a life of purpose and fulfillment. Tune in daily to fuel your motivation, elevate your mindset, and unleash the champion within. Get ready to transform your life, one minute at a time.

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