A topic that always seems to come up with high school kids I talk to is the concept of failure. I try to convince them that failure is your friend. Failure is not something to fear or avoid. Failure helps us define our capacity as people. It plants a flag in the ground and says, “This is the best you can do, right now.” Failure challenges you to prove it wrong.

So, now we have a choice to make.

Are we going to have the courage to pull that flag out of the ground and carry it to our next failure, knowing that each step further is a victory? Or are we going to give up all of our power to the failure flag? Will we be afraid and step away from it?

I honestly believe in this failure flag concept. I see evidence of these choices being made everywhere and often, but mostly I see it in myself. It’s important for me to remember to not step away from that flag. It’s hard to keep moving forward beyond and through what scares you. Every choice we make is at some level based on our honest relationship with our fears. Recognizing it in ourselves and those around us is important. Nothing great is built from fear. Everything great came from learning from failure and moving forward and encouraging those around us to do the same.

Alex Raffi, partner/creative director at Imagine Communications would like to thank the people who have encouraged him to not walk away from the failure flag.