How to fail well: The difference between a 'teachable moment' and a terminal mistake 25 Jan, 2021 10:06 PM 12 minutes to read Fear and shame are the bedfellows of failure, while its twin, success, enjoys all the limelight. Photo / Quinton Coetzee, Unsplash Fear and shame are the bedfellows of failure, while its twin, success, enjoys all the limelight. Photo / Quinton Coetzee, Unsplash By: Janet Wilson Failure can teach us a lot, but the key to success is knowing how to make it a temporary detour, not a dead end. By Janet Wilson. Failure – everything from blunders and botch-ups to catastrophes and disasters – attracts its fair share of glib bumper-sticker solutions. Fear and shame are the bedfellows of failure, while its twin, success, enjoys all the limelight. And that's because we don't learn from it.