Young professionals. We need to fail better. We need to become comfortable with the idea of stumbling over obstacles. We need to stop feeling paralyzed by the anticipation of failure. Failure is not a source of shame. It is a badge of honor. It is progression. Let me explain.

At the age of ten, I did what most young boys do. I played baseball for my local little league. My father liked to tell me, “The game can teach you a lot about life.” While he is correct that the game did inform much of who I am and how I see the world, it is not what I remember most about that time. Instead, I remember watching my brother tirelessly shoot a basketball on the courts across from the left-field fence. I remember it clearer than any win or loss. In the beginning, he missed a lot, as we all do, but he learned from those misses. He adjusted his technique and then he shot again. And again. And again. For years, I watched him shoot and miss, until one day it seemed he never did.

That is exactly where we, young professionals, sit right now. We are watching people seemingly never miss, misinterpreting their success as a lack of failure. When, in fact, success is moving from failure to failure without loss of enthusiasm. That’s what Winston Churchill would tell you, or at least something similar.

For many of us, intellectually, we understand that failure can breed success. Failure is not inherently negative. You can learn, grow, and evolve from past mistakes. The difficulty is maintaining a healthy perspective throughout the process. Here are four keys to embracing failure on the road to success.

1. Practice Modesty

Individual successes have become more public than ever thanks to the prevalence of social media in our everyday routine. Conversely, it is still an oddity to hear about the failures along the way. Those are often brushed aside or ignored entirely. Break that cycle. Challenge yourself to discuss failure without the fear of a negative perception.

Work to cultivate an understanding that self-image is not dictated by external events or personal performance. Good effort, whether immediately preceding success, should still be acknowledged as a step forward.

Progress over perfection.

2. Ignore Finality

Failure is not the end, nor is it a roadblock. It is far more appropriate to think of each failure as a toll booth. A price must always be paid to move forward. It may feel significant at times and inconsequential at others, but it is a necessary step to arrive at the right destination.

Each failure facilitates the chance to remove the fear from the next attempt. It gives you a chance to look back, adapt, and move forward. The process may hurt, but it instructs.

Failure is a ruthless teacher.

3. Own Mistakes

If you are too timid to accept your errors, then you cannot learn. The failure you experience becomes meaningless and potentially torturous for no benefit. With each encounter, there will always be an opportunity to grow.

Trial and error forges a strong character. While the past cannot be altered, there is value in unpacking each failure. There is value in reflecting, evaluating what you did wrong, and then determining the changes that must be made for success.

Learn from your mistakes. Become resilient.

4. Pursue Support

The weight of failure, and the accompanying negative emotions, can halt the trajectory of any young professional. Share that weight by doing the difficult thing and asking for help. Find a like-minded individual, or better yet a group, to support your personal and professional development.

There is no more value in undertaking this journey alone. Though be cautious in partnering with an individual who thinks similarly. Instead, seek out someone who is complementary. Find someone whose strength matches your weakness. Find the person who looks at the world counter to how you see it.

Move forward together. Find success together.

My brother did not go onto play in the NBA. This is not intended to be another “Michael Jordan didn’t make the basketball team” story. Or even a “Thomas Edison found thousands of ways to not make a light bulb” story. This is an authentic story about what it takes to succeed. It is about learning from failures. It is about becoming a better version of yourself. And to do that, it takes growth, reflection, and perspective.

While the memory of my brother shooting a basketball may be cemented in my mind, it was not until very recently that I found the significance. I did not know it was a life lesson waiting to be realized.

I just thought it was a nice memory. Failing once, twice, or even a thousand times is honorable if it advances your success.

If you take away anything, remember that failure is inevitable, but complacency is a choice.