Jon Carroll believes in the power of failure. His This I Believe essay on National Public Radio reminded me that “failure is how we learn.” Carroll writes a daily column for the San Francisco Chronicle. He says that each week one column is inferior to the others. In the inferior column he is often trying something new. “I have learned to cherish that column,” says Carroll.

I haven’t learned to cherish my failures, but I like the reminder that they can help me grow.