The Tower of Success: How Mistakes Build the Life You Want

The Tower of Success: How Mistakes Build the Life You Want

Imagine life as a towering stack of books. Each book represents a different stage of learning, and together, they form the foundation of your success. At the base, you have a few sturdy books—theory—the knowledge we acquire in school, from mentors, and through life experiences. These books are important, but they are small in number. They give us the fundamental principles, the frameworks, the “how-to” guides for life and business.

Stacked on top of theory are a few more books—practice. These are the books where we take what we know and begin applying it. It could be our first job, our first business venture, our first attempt at something new. These books teach us that knowledge alone isn’t enough—we have to put it into action. However, practice is still controlled. We follow guidelines, we learn from others, we take careful steps forward.

But the true lesson of success—the part that separates those who dream from those who achieve—lies in the enormous pile of books that sit on top of theory and practice. These books are mistakes.

This stack is the largest by far. It towers above the others, filled with moments of failure, rejection, setbacks, and struggles. Every single mistake represents a learning opportunity, a lesson that cannot be taught in a classroom or simply rehearsed in a controlled environment. These books contain the reality of doing.

• The failed business that taught resilience.

• The job interview that went terribly wrong but sharpened future preparation.

• The sales pitch that bombed, yet forced a new, better approach.

• The relationship that ended, revealing the kind of person you want to become.

• The deal that fell through, strengthening negotiation skills for the next time.
  

Every single mistake adds weight to the tower, but instead of crushing it, it builds it higher. The more mistakes you make, the stronger your foundation of learning becomes. Because mistakes are not the opposite of success—they are the building blocks of it.

Why Mistakes Matter More Than Theory or Practice

Theory gives us information. Practice gives us experience. But mistakes give us wisdom.

Wisdom isn’t about knowing what to do—it’s about knowing what not to do. It’s about navigating challenges with confidence because you’ve already been through the worst and come out stronger.

The most successful people in the world didn’t just read the theory and practice their craft—they lived it, failed at it, and learned from it.

• Thomas Edison didn’t invent the lightbulb on his first attempt—he failed thousands of times. But every failure taught him something new.

• Oprah Winfrey was fired from her first job as a television reporter because she was deemed "unfit for TV." That mistake led her to carve out her own space and redefine an entire industry.

• Steve Jobs was removed from the company he built, only to come back stronger and revolutionise technology forever.
  

If they had stopped at theory, or even at practice, they would never have reached their full potential. It was in their mistakes that they found greatness.

The Secret to Success: Embrace the Mistakes

If you want to be successful—truly successful—you need to accept that mistakes aren’t setbacks; they are necessary steps forward.

1. Fail fast, fail forward. The quicker you make mistakes, the faster you learn and improve.

2. Stop fearing mistakes—fear standing still. The only real failure is doing nothing.

3. Reflect, adapt, and go again. Every mistake is a lesson. Learn from it and use it as fuel.
   

So go ahead—build your tower. Let theory lay the groundwork, let practice strengthen it, but most importantly, let your mistakes take you higher than you ever imagined. Because success isn’t about avoiding failure—it’s about stacking your failures so high that one day, you can stand on top of them and see the incredible view you’ve built.

And when you do, you’ll realise something powerful: it was never the theory or the practice that made you great—it was the mistakes that shaped you into the person you were always meant to be.

 Mark Goode

CEO Inspired Recruitment

Mark Goode is the CEO of The Inspired Recruitment Group which originated with the inception of Inspired Selections a recruitment agency primarily focused on recruitment in the optical industry before branching out into audiology and pharmaceutical recruitment. New optical opportunities are featured daily here or if you're a business, looking for help with your recruitment needs, get in touch here