Fail Forward

Fail. The f-word. I first heard the phrase “failing forward” during a resiliency workshop for Preservation of the Force and Family (POTFF), while serving as a Key Spouse for a special operations group overseas. Our community carried the invisible weight of constant deployment; a strain that could overwhelm. Some couldn’t see past the moment. Some couldn’t hold on. The S-word. Suicide.

“Fail forward” became more than a phrase; it became a motto. A way of making the f-word and the s-word okay to say out loud because that takes away their power and puts them in a space where we can talk more freely. I’ve carried it into every arena since; as a spouse, mom, coach, community leader, and a friend.

The F-word. Not the one you think, but it stops people just long enough to listen sometimes. Because failure touches all of us, deeply, personally, and sometimes it pulls us toward self-doubt or self-harm. If we don’t fail, then how do we learn? How do we become stronger?

Embrace the F-word to help stamp out the S-word.
Failure isn’t the end of the road. It’s just a moment to reflect on a new path forward. Look past the moment. Look for the sun. Let’s fail forward. Together.