Sports & Gaming

How to Deal with Failure

Lewis Hamilton

Lesson time 12:05 min

While Lewis has won more races than anyone in F1 history, he has learned valuable lessons from losses along the way. Learn how to deal with adversity and failure, and how to use those experiences to help you improve and get stronger.

Students give MasterClass an average rating of 4.7 out of 5 stars

Topics include: Why Failure Is Necessary Confront Your Challenges Set Yourself Impossible Goals Evolve Your Relationship With Failure Review Mistakes to Improve Preparation

Preview

[MUSIC PLAYING] LEWIS HAMILTON: My first race, I remember I was practicing, I was going into this first corner, and this young kid hit me from behind. And I went off into the wall, crashed into these big tires, hit my head on the steering wheel. Nose was bleeding, car was busted. I remember my dad, like, running. And I remember him arriving just terrified. Are you okay, are you okay? And I was like, can you fix the car for the race? That's all I was concerned with, because I still wanted to race, and we had a race to win. And the next day, we won a race after my first race. I kind of never looked back from then. [MUSIC PLAYING] I have a very close relationship with failure. And the reason for it is I've failed more times than I can remember. But the lessons that I've learned through those failures have ultimately ended up with me having success. It's character building. It's where I hone in on my strengths or where I build strength. It's those difficult times where you think, am I not good enough? Should I stop? Now, I've made sometimes the same mistake multiple times. But that's okay. Because eventually, through trial and error, I don't make those mistakes anymore. Failure-- in my opinion, failure is 100% necessary for greatness. To achieve greatness, to have that success, you've got to fail as many times as possible. So don't shy away from it. And don't take it as a negative. Every single successful person who's achieved great things, whether it's climbing Mount Everest, whether it's getting to a top of a company, whether it's being the best athlete possible, they've all failed more times than they'll be able to remember. But through those lessons that they've learnt through those failures, that's how they've become great. No one's been great from the get go and then just being great. That's-- except for Superman, because he was just born great. So just know that that is a part of the journey. And whatever failures you have are only going to make you stronger. [MUSIC PLAYING] When I first got to cars, I was progressing from go-karts to cars. It's a big, big step, really exciting, because it was the first time I would have a car that looks like a Formula One car. And if the step goes right, I might be on my way to getting to Formula One. This is what all the other greats have been through this process. So this is the way. And as soon as I got there, I was crashing all the time-- crashing, finishing far down the grid. I wasn't winning the races, couldn't keep up with the other guys, because every time I tried to eke out more performance, I would crash. So it was really hard to get to the limit. My confidence was really shot. There was a moment where we-- me and my dad, we arrived home. We were sat in front of the garage in the car. And we didn't get out for 5-10 minutes. And in that moment, I thought my career was over. We were both like, maybe, maybe you're just not b...

About the Instructor

As the winningest Formula 1 driver in the history of the sport, Lewis Hamilton knows what it takes to come out on top. Now, he’s teaching you how to achieve greatness in your own life. Whether you already know your goals or are still trying to figure them out, you’ll learn how to face your fears, turn negatives into positives, and continuously challenge yourself in order to find—and reach—your true potential.

Featured MasterClass Instructor

Lewis Hamilton

World racing champion Lewis Hamilton teaches you how to prepare your mind, body, and spirit for victory in your own life.

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