It’s impossible to end a chapter in your life, work or professional, without looking back at least a few times to see what you might have done differently if you knew then what you know now. I used to think I didn’t have regrets in life ? that that was somehow a waste of time […]

It’s impossible to end a chapter in your life, work or professional, without looking back at least a few times to see what you might have done differently if you knew then what you know now. I used to think I didn’t have regrets in life ? that that was somehow a waste of time ? but now I try my best to recognize them and learn from them, rather than pretend they aren’t there. But rather than letting those mistakes or regrets turn into shame, I try to unpack them a bit and see what sort of valuable lesson is inside that tough time that I can carry forward with me. So while I don’t relish mistakes and failures (and believe me, I’ve had many), I do appreciate being able to have some time and space to look at them and see what they can offer in terms of growth and understanding. Today I chose 10 of my favorite “learning from failure” stories that designers have shared with us over the years here at Design*Sponge. Whether you work in design or not, these moments (and the lessons that come with them) are universal and can apply to almost any life or work problem that pops up. I think it’s helpful to take the sting out of the word failure ...