The thing I always say to people is this: 'If you avoid failure

Host: The room is quiet, the afternoon sun slanting across the floor, casting long shadows on the walls. Jack sits at the table, his arms crossed, a slight frown on his face as he listens intently. Jeeny, sitting across from him, has a thoughtful expression, her fingers gently tracing the edge of her coffee cup. There's a moment of stillness before the conversation begins, as if both of them are waiting for the right words to form.

Jack: (breaking the silence, voice thoughtful) "You know, Robert Kiyosaki’s quote—'If you avoid failure, you also avoid success'—it’s one of those statements that seems simple, but the more I think about it, the more it stirs something inside me. It sounds like he’s saying you can’t have success without failing first, but that doesn’t sit well with me. I mean, who wants to fail? Why would anyone choose failure?"

Jeeny: (nodding slowly, her tone calm but firm) "I get where you're coming from, Jack. Failure is hard, and it’s uncomfortable. But what Kiyosaki is saying is that failure is part of the process. It’s not about choosing failure, it’s about embracing it when it comes. Failure teaches you lessons that success can’t. It builds resilience and pushes you to try harder, think differently, and ultimately reach higher than you thought possible."

Jack: (looking down, voice skeptical) "But doesn’t failure just feel like a setback? I mean, why would you want to fail at something? It’s discouraging, and it often feels like you’re just wasting time. How does failure lead to success?"

Jeeny: (gently, with a knowing smile) "It’s not about the failure itself, Jack, but about how you respond to it. Failure isn’t the end; it’s just a detour. It’s a stepping stone that leads you to success, but only if you don’t let it define you. Think of all the successful people you admire—many of them failed more times than they succeeded. But each failure was a lesson that brought them closer to what they wanted. They didn’t avoid failure; they embraced it and learned from it."

Host: The light in the room shifts, growing softer as the conversation deepens. Jack leans back in his chair, staring out the window, his mind clearly processing Jeeny’s words. The sound of the world outside feels distant, as if the air between them has thickened with understanding.

Jack: (sighing, his voice quieter now) "I get it, I do. But it’s hard to just accept failure, especially when it feels like you’ve given your all to something and it falls apart. How do you know when to keep going after failure and when to walk away?"

Jeeny: (her voice steady and reassuring) "That’s the real challenge, isn’t it? It’s about knowing when to persevere and when to pivot. The key is to look at failure not as a final judgment but as feedback. When you fail, ask yourself—what can I learn from this? What does this teach me about my approach, my mindset, my strategy? If you can get curious instead of discouraged, then failure becomes a tool for growth, not a roadblock."

Jack: (with a thoughtful pause, his tone shifting) "So, it’s not about avoiding failure—it’s about using it to learn and keep moving forward, right? You take the lessons from the failures and use them to shape your next move. I suppose in that case, failure is just part of the journey, not the end of it."

Jeeny: (smiling, her tone light yet firm) "Exactly. Success isn’t just about getting everything right the first time. It’s about being willing to try, to fail, to learn, and to try again. The people who achieve the most are the ones who aren’t afraid to fail. They know that the risk of failure is worth the reward of success. If you avoid failure, you avoid the lessons and the growth that come with it. And that’s what ultimately leads to success."

Host: The quiet in the room deepens, the air shifting as Jack reflects on Jeeny’s words. The weight of the conversation settles between them, and a new understanding begins to form. Outside, the light is slowly fading, but inside, there’s a sense of clarity—a realization that failure is not something to fear, but something to embrace as part of the larger process of success.

Jack: (with a small smile, his voice more assured) "I think I’m starting to understand. Failure isn’t the opposite of success—it’s part of it. You can’t have one without the other. You can’t reach the top without stumbling a few times along the way."

Jeeny: (nodding, her eyes warm with encouragement) "Exactly. It’s the bumps in the road that make the journey worthwhile. It’s how we grow, how we get better, and how we ultimately achieve what we want."

Host: The stillness in the room feels peaceful now, as if both Jack and Jeeny have arrived at a shared understanding. The weight of failure doesn’t seem so heavy anymore. Instead, it has transformed into a tool, a lesson, and a necessary step toward success. The light outside is almost gone, but the clarity in the room remains, a quiet realization that failure and success are not opposing forces, but partners on the path to something greater.