“I don’t failure.”
This is something many of us have said in the past, including myself. Embarrassingly, quite recently. For high achievers, and perhaps women striding confidently into the corporate world, where hard work and success supposedly equal happiness, it’s a common sentiment.
That was certainly the case in the 1980s, but these days we are more likely to give ourselves a break – to be happy with what we’ve achieved and how we’ve achieved it, and to accept our failures as a learning experience rather than something to be avoided.
‘During the first season of the podcast, every single man I approached, apart from one person, said: “I don’t think I have failed. I’m not sure I’m right for this podcast.” Whereas every single woman I approached said: “Oh my gosh I’ve failed so many times.”’
Encouraging this outlook is author, journalist and popular podcast host Elizabeth Day.
Her podcast, How to Fail with Elizabeth Day, was launched nearly three years ago, so she could explore the concept of failure through well-known, successful people.
“The idea is to make listeners who are scared of failure in their own lives feel less alone,” she says from
