What does it mean to fail today? How can we overcome a fear of failure? Is there value to be found in defeat?

“New year, new you”. A phrase synonymous with January and the tide of resolutions it announces. We make vows to exercise more, eat less, be more productive, be less stressed: become better people, essentially. Yet studies show 80% of these resolutions fail by February.

While few of us are spared the spectre of failure in January or elsewhere in our lives, in a world of Instagram perfection, falling short seems out of fashion. Yet proverbial wisdom reminds us that “nothing ventured, nothing gained”, and some of the greatest philosophical minds agree. Confucius said ‘Our greatest glory is not in never failing, but in rising every time we fail’ while Beckett quipped: “Try again, fail again, fail better.”

So is failure good for us? Is there value to be found in the midst of defeat, and if so, what is it? Should we always get back on that horse? Can we learn from our mistakes and become better riders? And is it true that failure, as Margaret Atwood said, “is just another name for real life?”