You have to step outside your comfort zone and take a leap of faith.

It took Thomas Edison 10,000 tries to make a commercially viable light bulb. I often think about that when I try something new. I can't just try it once and then give up never to try again.

We need to teach the importance of failure to our children. They need to know that failure is a huge part of their success. I try to model my thinking process to my children when I make a mistake. Our mistakes become funny stories like when I forgot to make sure we brought my daughter's backpack on her first day of kindergarten. Or when we went on a vacation and I forgot to pack everyone's pants.

I am hoping that my kids become less afraid of failure. I am hoping they become more comfortable trying something new on their own rather than looking for me to help them.

When your kids discover that they can do the hard things and that failure is part of the learning process, you are really teaching them to have a growth mindset. You can watch some great TED Talks with your kids about growth mindset and how to use failure in your favor.

I really wish I could turn back time and tell my younger self that it is okay to fail. All that matters is that you keep trying, and one day you will soar.

“Be of good cheer. Do not think of today's failures, but of the success that may come tomorrow. You have set yourselves a difficult task, but you will succeed if you persevere; and you will find a joy in overcoming obstacles. Remember, no effort that we make to attain something beautiful is ever lost.” - Helen Keller