Are Failures, Mistakes & Defeats Necessary for one's Personal Growth?

In my opinion yes, we do need failures, mistakes, errors, setbacks & defeats to further develop as a human being. Sure victories, trophies, medals, citations & other forms of honor verify one's excellence but it is these failures that helped us to attain whatever high praises we do get in life. Even at an early age we endure mistakes & failure to literally get where we want to be during that stage in infancy when we first try to move about by crawling & eventually walking. Even at an early stage we do our hardest to make those first steps as well as being able to support ourselves & stand upright.

The only time, I think, failures & setbacks become too unbearable is when we are put under tremendous stress or, if what we're striving for is not really what's meant for us. For example, your aspiring to become a famous singer & yet your voice sounds like a coyote howling at the moon at night. Practice, hard work & dedication may improve your skills (&/or talent), but if something's just not meant to be, it never will.

Also, being able to get up & start anew after a major fall is indeed a good feeling don't you think?

 

I believe in a survival of the fittest rule in life, but we need flaws to learn...we live pampered lives=we loose in experience.

One example sorta towards this is chicken pox, if we have it as a child it just makes us ill with facial crap, as an adult...we could die from it, having it as a child builds our immunity.

Same with life, you learn how to pick up girlfriends by talking to them, and making dumb mistakes, not everyone learns despite repeated attempts...thus my survival of the fittest rule

There are indeed times where it becomes unbearable, but to take these as learning experiences rather than a crippling experience once you sort yourself out truly builds character, say a homeless man get's a decent job and family, THAT'S GREAT, to be upset over loosing a friend and shunning everyone away because of how upset they are...well....

And I do agree, I had a REALLY BAD downfall, I feel from grace so to say, I admit my current life hasn't really gone anywhere but Im still a functional member of society with little regrets about my actions, past, present...not quite future but that's because I can't see into the future

 

Good thing you brought up the classic "Survival of the fittest" "law". Even though in the animal kingdom genetics do play the bigger part to the validity of this law seeing that the fittest are often the healthiest &/or stronger individual in the group. But I do believe that learning (for the part of the animal's life experiences) does play a significant role as well.

 

This is true.
Even in the animal kingdom, those that learn from their mistakes fare better then the ones who don't.
(Well, we are a part of this kingdom, so we should expect the same rules)
So, yeah, i think learning from your mistakes can be considered a Darwinian advantage.
As for the title, if failures are necessary for personal growth, well yeah, i think they are.
I don't think there is one human being in the world who hasn't done mistakes and learned from them.
Even if only as in your example of learning to walk as a baby.
I think the key here is learning from them.
If you learn from your mistakes, they contribute for your growth.
If you wallow in them, and let them kill your confidence, they can also hurt you.
So we go once again back to the "survival of the fittest".
Those who are better at learning from their mistakes, instead of slitting their wrists because of them, have a much better chance at success.

 

You will learn from all experience good or bad, but only if you want to. Some people are so overconfident or negative they let it pass by.

But the ones who are trained and get a treat as a reward can do tricks.

Good or bad is all the same, it depends on the type of person on what they will get from it.

 

my english teacher used to say, "making mistake is the first step of learning, learning not to make that same mistake again is the second step".

failure can be good provided you are able to learn whats cause you to fail, but to certain people like myself, failure is nothing special since its what i do best.

 

Are Failures, Mistakes & Defeats Necessary for one's Personal Growth?

- It should.

Most historical figures were not given a second chance to learn from their failures, mistakes and defeats, though.

 

Failures and mistakes and defeats are part of a human.No one is perfect.We make mistakes but we learn from them and don't repeat them.

 

Mistakes and failures don't exist...only events that prove why you shouln't do something.

 

If someone does not learn from their mistakes then how else will they grow as an individual?

Trial and error go hand in hand, so the same goes for growth and failures. But hey it is a challenge to actually face defeat, it is all a part of life and what people strive for in the end that makes it all worth while.

 

Same difference?

 

That's what I thought.

 

Not quite, if one is persistent they can try again and again, until they pass or fail so badly they give up and crawl into a hole made from their own depression.

I failed my driving test 2 times before I finally passed, first time was just one bad move at the end (I nearly broke down from how dumb it was), second was just a flaw I never rectified (and didnt realise it was law to move once you pass the line at traffic lights)...it happened at the start of the test.

3rd time's the charm, I kept trying constantly and focussed on what I did wrong, though in most cases especially with game's I'll use the same old tactic until it finally does work, dumb but that is just how I work.

...I should of just quoted this but I like giving real life examples

 

remind me of my marketing 101, i fail that subject 5 times... i about to drop it, but my mom sign me up for another time, i go for the 6th time without studying... and i pass.... the lecture might have took pity on my failure or she just want to avoid seeing me for the 7th time.

 

No wonder you're so afraid of the outside world. What a pessimistic and irrational outlook on mistakes. If you dwell on mistakes and failures, you'll get nowhere in life.

 

How about a mistake that could lead to a good thing?

For example teen pregnancy. Sure teen pregnancy is something a bit frowned upon but it can lead to something good. For example making a very promiscuous man (teen of course) learning to become a responsible parent & a loyal husband, though the later is somewhat harder to achieve.

Or how about taking the wrong bus home then later hearing about the correct bus getting into an accident which killed &/or harmed a lot of its passengers.

And I think quoting Nicholas Cage as Ben Gates' in "National Treasure" favorite quotation is the "better" re-wording of your own statement....

 

How is that what you thought, when i t was you who wrote it?
You are saying mistakes and failures don't exist, but then give out a definition for what mistakes and failures are.
BTW, everyone else took what you said different from what i did.
I guess their interpretation was correct.
But when you say "events that prove why you shouldn't do something".
It took it to mean those events prove why you shouldn't do the mistake (or the thing that made you fail), not the entire event.
For example, you're trying to ride a bicycle, and you put your foot in the wheel, causing it to stop, and you to fall.
The event (mistake) proved why you shouldn't stick your foot in the wheel, not why you shouldn't ride a bike.

 

@Mark_80: Good point

In that case it's not an "event" per se & more like a "set-up", a configuration or an arrangement of what you were supposed to do.

 

I think if that were further explained she meant that at certain times mistakes could only be prevented if a person were a spectator perse, then it would not be neccessary to make incorrect moves. It would not have to be repeated in the future.

Thing is it depends on the persons goals and ambitions, that proves to be accompanied by mistakes. I mean we all have taken tests, essays, and quizzes from day one. Learning is what we all share, same goes for mistakes. Just look at the past year and try to come up with any "wrong" or "right" moves...tally those up and you get many more wrong things than you would right. No matter what in the modern age each person has to have a positive plan, whether its having kids or selling drugs...

...cross out the drugs part.