"No hay vergüenza en fallar. La única vergüenza es no dar lo mejor de ti."

Failure isn’t something to be embarrassed about; it’s part of the journey. What really matters is putting in your best effort and trying. When you give something your all, you can hold your head high, regardless of the outcome.

Let’s rewind to when this kind of wisdom became a staple. It's the sort of advice you might’ve heard from a grandparent after a tough day. But it also resonates in the broader historical context of great inventors and leaders. Take Thomas Edison, for instance. He failed thousands of times before successfully inventing the light bulb. Imagine if he’d given up after the first few tries—our world would be quite a bit darker, pun intended.

To see this in action, think about a real-life scenario—an elementary school kid, Maria, trying out for the soccer team. She’s not the best player and doesn’t make the team on her first try. Instead of hanging up her cleats in defeat, she practices every day after school. She joins a local team to improve her skills. By the time she’s in middle school, she not only makes the team, but she’s one of the star players. Maria’s initial failure wasn’t a dead end; it was a stepping stone. She took her initial defeat, learned from it, worked hard, and eventually succeeded.

Now for some advice on applying this to your life. Whenever you’re faced with a challenge, go all in. Don’t hold back because you’re afraid of failing. Dive in wholeheartedly. If things don’t go as planned, reflect on what happened, learn from it, and use that knowledge to improve. The key is persistence. Keep showing up, keep trying, and keep giving it your best shot. It’s about the effort and the growth that comes from it.

Picture this: You’re at a cozy coffee shop with a friend, and they’re talking about starting a new business. They’re worried about failing and what people might think. You remind them of this wisdom—there’s no shame in failing, only in not trying. Encourage them to go for it. Maybe they’ll stumble at first. Maybe they’ll even have to close up shop. But they’ll learn invaluable lessons along the way. And who knows? Their next venture could be the one that takes off.

Imagine your own life like a series of these coffee shop conversations. Maybe you’re considering going back to school, starting a new job, or even something as simple as learning a new hobby like painting. Don’t let the fear of failure hold you back. What’s the worst that can happen? You might not succeed on your first try. But you’ll gain experience, learn what doesn’t work, and get better each time you try.

Think about the moments when you gave something your all. Maybe it was a college application, a job interview, or a personal project. Remember how it felt to put in all that effort, regardless of the outcome? That’s where the real value lies—in knowing you gave it your best shot.

So, embrace the process and keep moving forward. Each failure is just another step towards success.