I grew up in a house where my father encouraged my brother and me to fail. I specifically remember coming home and saying, ’Dad, Dad, I tried out for this or that and I was horrible ’ and he would high-five me and say, ’Way to go.’

Blakely frames failure as a practiced skill rather than a verdict on ability. By recalling a father who celebrated attempts that went badly, she highlights how family culture can rewire a child’s relationship to risk: the reward is for trying, not for winning. The high-five turns embarrassment into evidence of courage and experimentation, encouraging persistence and learning. In entrepreneurial terms, the anecdote explains a mindset that treats setbacks as data—something to iterate on—rather than as shame. The quote’s significance lies in its practical psychology: resilience is often built early through repeated, low-stakes permission to fail.