Childlike Resilience | What Adults Can Learn About Overcoming Failures

[Olga]

Children easily overcome their losses and failures, starting their path anew. 

In fact, if we had experienced failures in childhood as severely as adults often do, most of us probably wouldn't even know how to walk. Or, we would do it very poorly. After each fall on our bottoms, we would start reflecting: 'I will never be able to walk... Maybe I'm just not meant to walk? Let them all walk, and I'll just crawl... Why not? Crawling is even more convenient! And those fools can keep walking...' Then, a couple of years later, another attempt, then another, and eventually, 'I don't need to walk at all.' And each new attempt would be less successful because the memory of past experiences would already carry the belief that we never really learned how to walk. And that means each new attempt would be plagued by the thought that it won't work this time either... 'Absurd,' you might say. And you would be right. The scientific approach is to walk upright on two legs.

But how many people would agree with these words if we applied them to love, happiness, creating a family, achieving a good income, and finding satisfying work?

[Anderson]

Thoughts

You beautifully highlight how resilient children are in their approach to learning new things and contrasts it with the way many adults approach challenges in life. The analogy to learning to walk illustrates how perseverance and a fresh mindset are key to overcoming obstacles.

As children, we naturally push through failures without overthinking them, learning from each attempt until we succeed. However, as we grow older, our past failures often weigh heavily on us, making us hesitant to try again. This mindset can apply to various aspects of life - relationships, careers, personal goals - where the fear of failure or past disappointments can hold us back from pursuing what we truly want.

You encourage adopting a childlike resilience: to let go of the fear of failure and keep trying, regardless of past experiences. It suggests that if we approached our adult challenges with the same determination and lack of self-judgment that we had as children, we would be more successful in achieving our desires and goals. The comparison also calls out the absurdity of letting past failures dictate future attempts, reminding us that it's never too late to start again with a fresh perspective.

My Personal Reflection

Reading this passage took me back to a memory I hadn’t thought about in years. I was about five years old, and like most kids that age, I was learning to ride a bike. I remember falling off more times than I could count. Each time, I’d scrape my knee or my elbow, and for a brief moment, I’d feel like crying. But then, something magical would happen. My dad would come over, brush off the dirt, and encourage me to get back on the bike. He didn’t give me long pep talks or make a big deal out of it - he just helped me up and gave me a push.

That’s the thing about being a kid: you don’t dwell on failures. You’re too focused on the joy of getting it right, on the thrill of that moment when you finally balance and pedal on your own. There’s no room for overthinking; you just do it.

As adults, we lose that simplicity. We start carrying the weight of every failure, every misstep, until it feels like a burden too heavy to bear. I’ve noticed this in myself over the years, especially when it comes to taking risks—whether in my career, relationships, or even trying something new. I’ve hesitated, not because I didn’t want to try, but because the memory of past failures whispered that it might not be worth the effort. But looking back at that little girl on her bike, I realize how much I can learn from her. She didn’t let a few scrapes stop her. She didn’t think about giving up—she just kept trying.

The passage reminds me that we all have that childlike resilience within us. It’s just a matter of tapping into it, of silencing the doubts that tell us we’re not capable, and of allowing ourselves to fail without letting it define us. If we can do that—if we can approach life’s challenges with the same spirit we had as children—there’s no limit to what we can achieve.

So here’s to falling down, getting back up, and giving it another go. Because no matter how many times we stumble, we all deserve the chance to ride on.